I'll Have You Eventually
by Wurstlover178
Summary: Mathias Køhler is working at the bar when he meets Lukas Bondevik, his friend, Tino's, cousin. And he can't get enough of him. Lukas rejects Mathias after much flirting, but Mathias is bent on getting Lukas to like him. DenNor, hints of SuFin. Rated M for language, lemon in future chapters, mature themes. Yaoi, BoyxBoy, don't like, don't read. Chapter 17 now up! -Warnings inside-
1. I'll Have You Eventually

_Woo! My first story post! :D I'm so psyched. Lately, my favorite pairing has been DenNor (DenmarkxNorway). Those two are just so cute. Not to mention Denmark is just plain amazing. XD Alright, first off, Hetalia and its characters do not belong to me. If it did, Germany would knock up Italy with the amount of times they do it, Sweden would always be naked and Romano would just admit to loving Spain more often. Lol Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya. Second, Mathias Køhler is referring to Denmark and Lukas Bondevik refers to Norway. (Hopefully, those two get OFFICIAL names soon.)_

Let me just say I _love_ my job. Who wouldn't love a job where you see a stripper or two on stage and get free alcohol after hours? Not to mention my boss isn't too hard on the eyes either. But today was just...agonizingly boring.

So there I was, sitting behind the counter and watching bar patrons enter and leave, some of them tipsy as hell or just barely buzzed. (Half of them have a hot chick or a handsome guy too.) Just watching these people having a good time was getting me in a good mood, despite my eternal perch on the bar stool next to the beer keg.

Each order rolled over my head as I watched, just hoping for a fight or something to break out. It was a good thing that Italian's shift happened to be the same as mine today, because I wasn't paying attention at all. This job had its perks, but even then it was boring as hell when there wasn't any excitement.

I sighed, eyes half lidded as I put my cheek in my hand and leaning my elbow on the counter. Some girl just slapped who I guess thought they were a ladies' man. Another girl was starting a grind train on the dance floor. All of this was just too typical. I needed something exciting to happen, or I'll most certainly die right where I sat.

"Ve~! Mathias!" Here we go…

I looked over my shoulder at my Italian colleague, giving him the same look as I normally did. This guy was a riot when he was drunk, sure. But ever since he and my boss, Ludwig, started getting "down and dirty", Feliciano has just been a total kiss up.

"What's up?" I asked him, sitting up a little straighter. I have no doubt in my mind I'm getting blamed for his stupidity (again).

"Would you mind covering my shift? My brother needs a ride home again." He pointed to his older brother at the end of the bar, his dark brown haired head down on the counter with an empty wine glass in his hand. While I was mopping after hours a few days ago, I heard he was involved in the local mafia from some Spanish guy who was dragging him home, Antonio. But that guy seemed like a total airhead, so I took it to be a rumor.

I put on a failed attempt at a smile and nodded. "Yeah, sure. Drive safe." I replied, standing up and taking away his brother's glass.

"Thanks Matt!" I winced at the nickname. I didn't exactly want him calling me that. Otherwise people would start thinking we were having an affair.

He took off his apron and threw it over his shoulder before running over to grab Lovino by his armpits and drag him towards the door. As he did so, Lovino started to feebly freak out, flailing weakly at Feliciano with his balled up fists. "Let go of me!" He hiccupped. "I'm fine!"

"No you're not, Lovino." I heard the door slam after that, more protests from outside being muffled by the walls.

And now continues my boredom. I actually pulled my weight around the bar, refilling glasses, kicking people out, and acting as a security guard once when someone was being sexually harassed by a French guy on the dance floor. That was the most excitement I had gotten then.

After shoving the blond haired, French pervert out the door, I regained my perch behind the bar and took up my usual bored position, frowning even more than before.

"Tino, I don't want to be here." Well that was a new voice. I picked up my head and looked at the front door.

"But Lukas! It's good to let go once in a while!" I smiled. That voice, I knew all too well.

"Hey, Tino!" I exclaimed, slamming my hands down on the counter. Last time I saw him here, he had managed to pick up that Swedish guy that was brooding in the corner. "Long time, no see!"

My small blond friend glanced at me before grinning and running over to give me an awkward hug across the bar. His violet eyes seemed as happy as ever, widened as if he had seen Santa himself on Christmas Eve.

"Mattie! It's good to see you." His smile was ever so stuck on his face. It was a rare occurrence to see him with a sad or angry expression. Then again, he was probably the most normal person I know. Except for the name, of course. These Finnish people must be really creative or something: Tino Väinämöinen. Yeesh…that was a tongue twister all on its own. Plus he managed to bribe my boss to let him drink here despite him being a year underage. That or his new boyfriend managed to scare the living daylights out of him. (I highly doubt that though.) "Have you met my cousin?" He motioned to the man sitting next to him.

I stopped for a second as I stared at him. This guy, for some reason, had a scowl pasted onto his reluctant face as he crossed his arms. His short light blond hair had a little cross barrette holding a chunk of it back, revealing his dull, expressionless blue eyes to the rest of the world. He even had a little curl that seemed to float independently from his head, just taunting everyone with its presence. He was shorter than me; even though he was sitting, I can tell it wouldn't even make a difference if he was standing next to me.

Was it just me, or was it getting hot in here?

"No… Can't say I have." I smirked and leaned in front of this stranger, raising an eyebrow. "Mind telling me who you are, Sweet Cheeks?" Oh, I'm good.

He rolled his eyes and looked at Tino with a disapproving look. "Please don't tell him…"

"But Lukas, he's a good guy."

"That's what you said about Berwald."

"He's a great guy! He's just a little...um, rough," He squirmed uncomfortably on his stool. "Is all."

"Psh, sure."

I grinned. "So your name's Lukas?"

Lukas looked up at me and glared. "Yeah. And?"

I held my hands up and toned down my expression a little, smiling instead. "Hey, I'm just trying to be social here. You're the one giving me the cold shoulder."

"Well I don't like being hit on by low life bartenders with bad hair." He sneered.

"For your information, it's not bad hair." I ran my hand through said golden locks. "It's stylishly messy." I looked out of the corner of my eyes sensually at him, trying to analyze his reaction. He didn't take his gaze away from me, but it wasn't exactly a turned on stare.

"Sure it is. Would you just get him some beers before Tino here explodes from anticipation."

Tino giggled next to him, hand over his mouth. "You two are so funny. Get me some salmiakki beer, please." He asked, plopping some bills down on the counter.

"Nothing for me… Under aged." Lukas sighed.

Maybe if I get on Lukas' good side, he'll warm up to me. I smirked at the idea and fulfilled Tino's order before dragging my stool over to Lukas and sitting in front of him. "So tell me about yourself. You single?"

Lukas jumped a little on his stool before glaring at me. "What?"

"Are you single? Certainly a guy of your caliber must have some other guys drooling at your feet."

Tino laughed again interrupting my flirting for a quick second. "He's single, but I've been telling him to get a boyfriend sooner or later." At least now I know he's gay.

"Why'd you have to tell him that?" Lukas muttered, looking down at his lap with a bit of nervousness in his eyes.

_Maybe to hint that he trusts me with his cousin._ I thought to myself. With that, I raised an eyebrow at him and inched a little closer. "Well, you're single. That's always good to know." Lukas scoffed at that comment. "How old are you?"

"That's for me to know and you to never-" He was cut off by a certain Finnish man.

"He's eighteen, Mattie!"

I smirked at Lukas before glancing at Tino. "Thanks." My gaze back on my newest toy, I held my hand out to him. "I'm Mathias Køhler, age twenty one. Pleasure to meet you."*

He stared warily at my hand before taking it and shaking, a manly grip severely lacking. "Sure. Whatever…"

"More beer!" Tino demanded from the sidelines, an almost obnoxious slam of his glass on wood bringing me out of my flirting for a quick second. With the now buzzed Finn preoccupied, I could get back to work.

"So…" I trailed off in feigned innocence, giving him another sultry look. "You a virgin?"

"…." Silence and a hard blush from Lukas later, he raised his hand and slapped me, my cheek instantly turning red from the impact. Even Tino jumped at the sound of Lukas' palm attacking my cheek, both of us staring at him in disbelief.

My hand instinctively going to rub my cheek, I spoke. "Damn man. It was just a question."

"A very intrusive one." Lukas retorted, narrowing his eyes at me. "I swear, if Tino's Swedish friend with benefits was here, your ass would be grass."

I blinked. I've met Tino's newest catch, Berwald Oxentierna, before, and one thing's for sure; if a friend of his needs his help, he's quick to act. Especially since he seems to hate me… God knows why that is. I gulped, taking a small step back. I didn't need a reason for Lukas to blow the whistle and have his and Tino's guard dog pop out of nowhere. Kind of like that bulldog in Tom and Jerry! Man, I haven't seen that show in a while…

"But Lukie," Tino said, hand on his cousin's shoulder. "Matt's just trying to make small talk."

"By asking whether or not I'm a virgin?" Lukas basically screamed at Tino.

I interjected by saying, "Hey, it seems like a good ice breaker."

Tino glanced at me, his eyes warning me not to say anymore. From the look on Lukas' face, it seemed like his warning was correct. "I refuse to be hit on by some lowlife," He stood and shot daggers straight into my eyes. "Nosey," He started jabbing at my chest accusingly with his finger with every word he said. "Cocky, rat's nest haired, no good bartender in the worst part of town!"

Damn, someone should bottle up that anger and make a weapon of mass destruction out of it.

I stared at him with wide eyes, a cold sweat forming on my brow. No one has ever spoken to me like that before. What was it about his explosion, though, that seemed to get me both scared and excited at once? Was I really getting enjoyment out of making this guy blow his top? Or was it fear of having Berwald beat me to next winter making my heart race?

Yep. It had to be the latter of the two. Why else would I be sweating like this?

All I was able to do was stare at him in utter shock, watching his red face turn into a slight pink as he turned away quickly on his heel and head for the door. "Get Berwald to drive you home, Tino. I don't need this."

Tino watched him leave like I did, the doors slamming behind him as he stormed out into the cold autumn air. The Finn in front of me sighed, shaking his head. "He'll lighten up eventually. You're just a stranger, so he doesn't want to get into any potential trouble."

His comment made me smirk. Well, we met. We know each other. He definitely won't forget who I was after tonight. And after meeting a good looking person like that, how could I ever possibly forget that nice piece of ass' name? I leaned on the counter of the bar again, the music in the room fading into a dull background noise in my ears as I stared at the door, mesmerized. No one has ever rejected my flirting before. I'll be damned to the deepest pits of Hell if I'll let him get away so easily. "Yeah… I see what you mean."

I'll get him to warm up to me, and when I finally do, he'll be nothing but attractive putty in my hands just begging to be stretched. And oh, how I'll enjoy stretching him when the time comes…

*"Thanks." My gaze back on my newest toy, I held my hand out to him. "I'm Mathias Køhler, age twenty one. Pleasure to meet you."*- There is no official age (or birth date, for that matter) for Denmark. So I made a guesstimate based on his looks. Please don't brick me if it's off. :/

_A/N: Oh Mattie. You dirty boy you. XD Woo! Done! I hope you enjoyed this, 'cuz I certainly enjoyed writing it. Sorry for any grammatical or spelling errors. Reviews are greatly appreciated! Any constructive criticism or praise is more then welcome! :D_


	2. We Meet Again

_Yes. The second chapter of my DenNor story. :P I'm posting the second chapter on the same day I posted the first one. I have no life. 'orz Nah. I mainly updated so quickly due to my first review giving me loads of motivation. Thanks for that motivation boost, LovefromDenmark! :) As well as the rest of you that were kind enough to comment. I hope you guys enjoy it. The point of view switches to Lukas' in the beginning and goes back and forth occasionally, so bear with me. Review or Russia will beat me with his pipe! (lol)_

XXXXXXXX

That guy had some nerve, going ahead and harassing me like that! "I don't need this, I don't need this…" I repeated my silent mantra to myself as I stepped outside, only shivering slightly at the chill in the air. It was a huge contrast to the excitement and heat from inside; refreshing.

A puff of aggravated air escaped my lips as I stomped towards the convertible parked in front of the bar, opening and slamming the door shut behind me as I sat in the back. Berwald looked up at me through a few strands of flaxen hair with his deep, sea foam green eyes from the rear view mirror, a noticeable eyebrow being raised at me.

I crossed my arms as he asked, "Wh're's T'no?" He asked. Sometimes I really wish this Neanderthal-ish guy would fix his speech. It wasn't that I didn't like Berwald, though he was sort of intimidating, what with that stare and all. He was a pretty nice guy, handled kids well and obviously really liked Tino. It's just his speech and stare that both aggravate and scare me.

"Inside." I mumbled, staring out the tinted window at the bright lights from the bar. Hopefully Tino doesn't get harassed by that bartender. He did seem pretty intimidated when I brought Berwald into the mix though, so maybe he won't chance it.

"Yoo left h'm al'ne?" He asked me, adjusting the rear view mirror to get a better look at me. I could feel that glare just penetrating my skin and staring at my insides, almost like a warning.

"I was getting harassed by the bartender in there, so I left. Tino and that other guy are pretty good friends, so he should be fine." I said, staring right back at him.

Berwald finally turned around in the driver's seat to look at me dead in the eye, almost contemplating what to do next. "Yoo s're?"

I blinked once before realizing my expression softened. He really was truly concerned for Tino's welfare. Maybe they were meant for each other. Despite what Tino said about being "a little rough", he wouldn't even think about hurting the Finn, nonetheless break his heart.

I gave him a quick but certain nod. "I'm positive."

Right then was the first time I had ever seen him smile; and not one of those cheap, half assed smiles either. It was the kind of smile a father got seeing his newborn son, the kind of smile only true happiness could cause. "Th'nks." He said, turning around to stare out the windshield at the car in front of us.

My mind wandered to Tino and that bartender; what was his name? Mathias, was it? I wasn't sure why I thought of him-probably just to get his face embedded into my memory so I could remember to stay away from him. That creep…

I sighed, arm on the arm rest as I leaned towards the window, staring at the door in the hopes that Tino would come back. The pooling heat in my stomach I got after thinking of Mathias was starting to make me a little nervous. I guess that's the dread I'm feeling. I really didn't want to see that guy again.

But knowing me, I'll get the exact opposite of what I want.

XXXXXXXXX

"Come on Tino. Up and at 'em." I picked up Tino and flung him over my shoulder, receiving a low and so horribly drunk groan in return.

"Mathias… I think I'm going to puke…" He groaned, shivering a little. This is normally why I had to drag him home before Berwald came along; the guy was a total loon when he was drunk.

"Well if you are going to blow chunks, don't do it on my suit. This thing's a bitch to dry clean." I said. It was a few minutes before quitting time and I had just noticed that Tino was totally wasted and still at the bar while I mopped the floor. What else was I supposed to do? Just leave him there for Ludwig to get to? Hell no.

So I managed to carry him outside, plopping him down on the sidewalk as I tried to look for Berwald or Lukas. Ah Lukas. It would make my…night, to see him again. That wonderfully cranky person needed me to help him in quest to my heart…and if I get lucky, my bedroom.

I smirked at the thought as a big figure entered my peripheral vision. Looking over, I saw that it was that always looming Berwald, who was towering over me and giving me the death glare.

Waving curtly at him, my smirk grew into a grin. "'Sup Berwald?"

His eyes just narrowed at me, as if examining my face for something. "Yoo d'dn't drug h'm d'd yoo?" He asked, glancing down at Tino with a worried look before tossing him over his shoulder like I had earlier.

The only word I caught was "drug", so I assumed he wanted to know if I slipped a roofy in his drink or something. "Nah. He's clean… Except for, y'know, the blood alcohol levels." He glared at me again and headed for his car, which caught my attention. Who was that sitting in the backseat?

I decided to follow him as he got closer, hand reaching out to the passenger seat. That person in the car started to look more and more familiar as I approached, the grin plastered on _my _face growing wider and wider.

"Lukas!" I exclaimed as I made a mad dash to the car door. Sure enough it was him, that precious little ball of anger and attractiveness jumping as he probably thought I popped up out of nowhere.

I saw him mouth, "The fuck?" as he narrowed his eyes at me simultaneously.

"I found you again!"

Berwald looked back at me after he fastened Tino's seatbelt, raising an eyebrow at me. "D'n't sc're 'im." He said simply. I nodded quickly and turned back to Lukas' disapproving face. "Let me in, bud!"

Lukas was shooting daggers at me with his gaze again, a quick flip of the middle finger making my grin fade to a smirk.

I waved it off. "You don't mean that."

"Hey Matt! Need a ride?" That drunken voice couldn't be forgotten easily. Drinking a lot with the owner of that voice will do that to you. I glanced at Tino, his eyes rolling to the back of his head hopelessly.

"If you really want me to..." A quick glance at Berwald was enough to ask for permission. He looked up at me the same time I looked at him, answering the question in my eyes with a nod.

_Awesome! Now I get to ride with Lukas!_ I thought. My grin was back as I ran around the car and opened the door beside the source of my interest, slipping in quickly.

"'Sup Luke?"

He smacked my shoulder, a grimace growing on his face. "Don't call me that or I'll throw you out myself."

Yeesh. But that's what I love about this guy. I smirked before buckling up, the engine now roaring to life. "Your wish is my command…Luke." A laugh erupted from my throat as Lukas basically jumped me, trying to unbuckle my seatbelt and open the door all at once.

"En'ff yo' two…" Berwald suddenly interjected. He wasn't looking at the road; rather he was glaring at us from the rear view mirror.

Both Lukas and I stopped mid-struggle to stare at him, the initial shock of it making Lukas stop his tussling with me. "Fine." Lukas muttered. I, on the other hand, said nothing. It wasn't my fault Luke was acting so angry. He's probably just trying to hide the fact that he starting to warm up to me.

Another smirk graced my lips as the thought invaded my head. I wonder what he's thinking…

XXXXXXXXXX

Dear God, get this guy out of the car! Why did Tino have to offer him a ride? Was he trying to aggravate me? I glanced at Mathias out of the corner of my eye and saw him smirking, as if reveling in some sort of victory. I turned my head in his direction before asking, "What're you so happy about?"

His smirk dropped, looking at me with much more attention. "Oh! Sorry 'bout that. I was just happy I got to see you again." He grinned again, flashing his bright white teeth at me.

My heart stopped for a second, rebooting shortly afterwards at a supersonic speed. It thumped against my chest harshly as I stared at him, shoulders slumping a little. The Hell is wrong with me?

I rolled my eyes and looked away, arms crossed again, almost hugging myself to keep my heart in my chest. "Quit being so cocky about it. It's nothing to be amazed about."

Mathias shrugged, nonchalantly putting an arm around my shoulder. "Just look at it this way, I can make up for angering you in the bar, eh?" I glared at him, realizing soon after that he was actually sincere about what he just said. His eyes had no hint of mischief like I thought they would, but a somewhat flirty look was masked under the sincerity, like he was trying to control himself.

Shaking his arm off of me, I grunted once before turning to the window again. Anything to get my attention off of him and onto more important matters; like why the hell was my heart beating so quickly?

"Hey, Berwald! You went the wrong way!" Mathias suddenly shouted, a short jump in my seat making me slightly embarrassed. Okay…maybe I'm concentrating too much.

Berwald glared back at him before turning around carefully and trying to fix his mistake. "I see th't n'w." Hr grunted, making a left where I suppose he should have before.

"You might as well let me drive if you're going to mess it up. I mean, who knows where I live better than I do?" Mathias didn't even realize the severity of what he just said. The evil glare Berwald gave him kind of matched the one's I was aiming at him earlier in the bar, only on a much more severe level.

"One m're c'mm'nt l'ke th't 'nd yoo'll w'lk h'me." Berwald's grip on the steering whell tightened, that expression on his face a clear signal that he was trying to hold himself back.

"Berwald, why yoo so mad?" Tino's drunken hiccup alerted us all that he was still here, half asleep or not.

"… No reas'n." He mumbled, concentrating a little harder on the road.

I quickly glanced over at Mathias, who looked like nothing at all just happened. Was this guy really that thick?

"How much farther? I think I'll pop a blood vessel with this life hazard here." I asked Berwald, pointing to Mathias with my thumb.

"Pop a blood vessel? That sounds pretty bad. Maybe you should just take a chill pill and come hang with me more often!"

… That little comment really could have given me a hemorrhage just now.

"See what I mean?" I added.

Berwald looked up at the mirror again. "W'll M'th'as?"

Mathias gave him a blank stare before shaking his head. "Oh! Just take a left down Baker Street. It's the second to last house on the right." As he said this, he pointed his directions at the windshield. Berwald looked a bit annoyed by this, but kept going, obviously trying to ignore him to the best of his ability.

Boy, I wish I had that kind of patience.

"Wrong way, Berwald~." Mathias almost sang, smirking even more than before.

Berwald grunted once and turned around again, a giggle from next to him making me roll my eyes. He's the reason I met the buffoon next to me to begin with; I'll have to pay him back later somehow. "Su-san's always bad with directions." Tino said past his fit of giggles, his small hand resting on Berwald's tensed arm. At the contact, the giant Swede's face relaxed, glancing over at Tino with concerned, loving eyes.

Blech… Makes me sick.

"Aw, touching. Now stop here." And there's Mathias to ruin the moment.

Berwald listened to him and unlocked the doors, Mathias squirming out of his seatbelt and stepping out. Suddenly, he stopped and looked down at me, smiling. I saw him take a pen and a piece of paper out of his pocket (who the Hell is equipped with that stuff anyway?) and leaned on top of the car, scribbling something on it before handing it to me.

I reluctantly took it and read it.

_Call me! –Mathias 555-9358_

The fu-?

"Call me sometime, Lukas. Maybe we can hang sometime." He smiled warmly at me and winked before shutting the door, leaving me shocked. The fuck just happened? The top of the car was tapped and Berwald was off. Good, the faster I got away from that mess, the better.

Hm…I like the license plate. As Lukas, Berwald and Tino sped off I caught sight of that tag that made me laugh.

_NORDICS_

Now that's a bad ass license plate. I smiled in accomplishment at myself.

_Met Lukas today, hit on him, got slapped, got a ride home with him and gave him my cell number. _Yep, today's a pretty good day. The smile on my face grew into a cocky grin as I opened the door to my house and headed to bed.

_A/N: Woo hoo! Second chapter done! I feel accomplished; two chapters in one day. Now I can sleep in peace tonight. Yes, I know 555 is a fake number in real life, but this is a fic. I can't go accidentally giving out someone random dude's phone number on FanFiction, y'know? Lol Reviews and Constructive criticism are greatly appreciated! ¡Hasta Luego, mi gentes!_


	3. Isn't This Illegal?

Alright, amigos. Chapter 3 for the win! This story isn't getting a whole lot of support like **Cat's** **Cradle** is, but I'll continue it nonetheless. I can't let you guys who _do_ read this down, right? :D I use faces too much. Anywho, on wards! Hetalia and its characters belong to Hidekaz Himaruya-san! Review or Russia-san will beat me with his pipe! (lol)

XXXXXXXXX

If the sun wasn't going through the blinds of the window and beaming into my eyes, I wouldn't have woke up as early as I had. With a groan, I sat up and shuddered from the cold. I really need to fix that draft; that or not sleep shirtless in the middle of autumn in a drafty room.

A quick glance at the clock told me it was six thirty and I groaned again. I don't even have to go anywhere until noon, and that was to unlock the doors to the bar and then leave.

"I can't win." I mumbled to myself. "Wait a minute… yes I can. I did give Lukas my number yesterday, after all." The thought made me grin, a little bit of morning dread being lifted off my shoulders.

As I got out of bed and headed to the bathroom, I started to ponder (a newbie for me) whether or not that adorably cranky guy would actually call me at some point.

_Maybe if he's bored. But it's still a call!_ That thought kept up my happy mood until I stepped out of the shower and fixed my hair into its normal "stylishly messy" form. I smiled at myself in the mirror and winked at it. "Oh yeah. Aren't you the catch? Lukas will have to be pretty blind to miss out on a stud like you."

I waved my comment to myself away, as if someone other than I just complimented me. "Pffft. Please stop. You flatter me. I'm blushing." Which was a total lie, but anything to keep my morning pep talk going.

Leaning over the sink, I did just that. "Oh that isn't a lie. You're a total knock out."

I shrugged at myself in feigned modesty. "If you insist…"

With that, I turned around and walked out. Now I'm totally pumped! I just hope Lukas will call. Whether it's a bored call or not, I'll get him to like me. I just know I will.

XXXXXXXXX

"Lukas, my head hurts." Tino whined next to me.

"Maybe if you didn't drink so much in the presence of that pervy bartender, you wouldn't be in this state." I replied curtly. I still haven't gotten him back for getting me to meet that guy in the first place. Mathias was a total tool and I intend one getting Tino to realize that.

Emil looked up at me from his cartoons and frowned. "Lukie, what's a perv?"

I sighed, realizing I just let my tongue slip in front of my little brother. "It's nothing. Just go back to your cartoons." And he did, laughing at the violence and ridiculous antics of Tom and Jerry. It's a miracle that show's even on anymore, what with the government concerned about "promoting violence to the child and future adolescent mind".

"He's not pervy. He was just trying to strike a conversation." Tino covered his eyes from the flashing on the television as he spoke. "Matt's a good guy; you're just not giving him a chance."

"I gave him chance enough when I told him my name and he asked if I was a virgin. Oh wait…" I stood up and glared down at him. "I didn't tell him my name. _You_ did. As well as tell him my age and that I was gay."

"Well you are, aren't you?"

Silence filled the room. Emil looked back at me and smiled. "You mean gay like happy? You don't look very gay then."

If it weren't for the honest innocence in that statement, I would have scolded him.

"No, no Em. I'm gay." I said reluctantly. He didn't understand _exactly_ what I meant, so I might as well play along.

"Yay! Lukie's happy!" He quickly stood up and hugged my leg, the top of his head only brushing against my hip. He's so small and innocent; who couldn't like him? He was definitely a lot better than Berwald's son. That thick eye browed menace was always getting into some sort of trouble.

I patted Emil's head before waddling awkwardly out of the room; it's hard to not to walk like a penguin when you have a little boy latched onto your leg.

"You should call him." Tino suddenly called out. I stopped in my tracks, looking over my shoulder at my hung over cousin on the couch.

Covering Emil's ears, I said, "Why would I call that bastard?"

"He's interested in you," Tino started to count off the reasons on his fingers. "You have nothing else to do today, and even if he wants to go further than a friendship, you're in control aren't you?"

Hm… He had a point. I did have nothing else to do, and I was most certainly in control. I shook my head. "No way in Hell am I calling him. Not that tool. He'll have to break down the front door if he ever wants to see me again."

XXXXXXXXXXX

Well this was most certainly the most awkward and confusing phone call I've gotten yet. I was about to head out the door to unlock the bar doors, all dressed up in my suit and such, and suddenly my cell rings. Upon closer inspection, I saw it was Tino and picked up.

I just didn't think he'd be suggesting something like this to me.

"Wait wait wait… You want me to go over there, knock and ask for Lukas, then break down your door?" I repeated. Was Tino still drunk or was he insane? I've done crazy things before, but I've never stooped as low to breaking and entering. "Isn't that llegal?"

"Um…Yes, that's the plan." He replied.

"But why? Won't that just upset him?"

"He told me, 'He'll have to break down the front door if he ever wants to see me again'. So I'm trying to help you have a chance at him" That cheery voice of his was hard to argue with. I can see why Berwald's never angry at him.

"He said that?"

"Would I lie to you?"

He really wouldn't. So why would I doubt him now?

"I'll be there after I open the bar."

"Great! I'll get Berwald and the kids to come with me and get out of the house. I need to get a few things anyway."

"Sounds like a plan." At least, I hope it was a solid plan. It just seems wrong though; breaking into Lukas' house to see him again. Ah Hell, what was a pussy footing about? I get to see him again! And I didn't need him to call me to get it! Not to mention now I know he lives with Tino. So that'll be a cinch.

"Hei Hei!" After that, the Finn hung up, leaving that annoying dial tone ringing in my ear.*

A smirk stretched across my face. Now's my chance to make him mine; and mine he will be!

XXXXXXXXXXX

Now that I'm here, I don't even know how to approach this. Tino had called me a few minutes ago to confirm that they were gone, so I didn't have to worry about scaring the little kiddies. I was actually more concerned about scaring Lukas. He hasn't necessarily warmed up to me yet; but to Hell with that! Lukas was in there and I intend on seeing him again! He'll warm up to me and think of me as a knight in shining armor, saving the damsel in distress from total boredom!

I grinned at the thought and knocked on the wooden door. "Hello? Lukas? It's Mathias!"

I heard grumbling and rustling around inside, eventually seeing a wary eye peek at me from the peephole. I waved happily at him, grin growing again.

The eye disappeared, followed by a, "Lukas isn't home. Leave a message after the beep." A phone message? Of course, the beep never came, so I didn't leave any message. Screw automated machines! I'll deliver my message in person!

"Okay then…" I said, heading down the walkway until I got to the chain link fence. With a crack of my neck and a good shake down, I gave myself another pep talk before rushing towards the door, shoulder first.

XXXXXXXXXXX

_Thump!_ "Fuck…" The hell was that? I looked up from my place on the couch and glanced at the door. Was he really still knocking and managed to hurt himself? What a tool.

_THUMP!_ Okay, that definitely wasn't a knock. Grasping the baseball bat next to me for protection, I stood up and slowly made my way to the door. What in God's name was he doing?

_THUMP THUMP! CRACK!_ I jumped as suddenly the hinges flew off the door, said barrier plummeting to the floor, loud enough to alert the whole neighborhood. On top of it lay Mathias, looking a little disoriented considering he just collapsed with it.

I just towered over him, baseball bat quivering in my hand as I questioned what to do? Bust his head open or call the cops?

I resolved to do both.

"Hey Lukas!" He called from the ground, waving at me again with that stupid smile on his face.

"You dunce!" I started hitting him on the back with my bat, watching in satisfaction as he tried to squirm away from my assault. "You don't go breaking into people's houses!"

"Ow! But Tino said you wanted me to break down the door!" He shouted.

I stopped mid swing, hitting the door instead of Mathias. "He what?" I'm going to kill him… I meant that as a metaphor, not an invitation! I can't believe Tino took that seriously.

"He told me you-."

"I know what he told you, damn it." I muttered, throwing the bat aside. "Why'd you listen to him anyway? Are you that much of a stalker?"

Mathias shook his head, standing up and rubbing his back. "No, I'm not." He groaned. He cracked his back once before looking at me again. "I just wanted to see you again."

My angry expression dropped. He just wanted to… Damn it, there goes my heart again. I must be getting a high blood pressure since meeting him or something. The guy is so obnoxious he's stressing me out. That had to be the only explanation for my heart rate right now.

"You could have just knocked like a normal human being." I finally said.

"I did! You said to leave a message after the beep." His expression brightened up. "Oh! My message!" He cleared his throat and shut his eyes, hand on his chest as if he was pretending to be a theater thespian.

"Hey there Luke! It's Mathias again! By now I probably broke down your door and you're swooning over me and my manliness, but either way, I'd like to know if you're free tonight. Maybe we can catch a movie. Love from Mattie!" He opened his eyes and grinned. "And… Scene." He bowed several times in front of me. "Thank you, thank you. I'll be here all week."

I couldn't help but start chuckling. That had to be the most ridiculous thing I've seen yet. It wasn't long before I realized my mistake, slapping my hands over my mouth with wide eyes. Oh shit…

He glanced up at me, dumbfounded. "I just made you laugh!" He cried out triumphantly. "Yes! Score one for Mathias!"

I hit Mathias in the chest, not as forceful as I wanted to be considering I just assaulted the guy with a bat. "Shut up…"

"So will you?"

Raising an eyebrow, I looked up at him. "Will I what?"

"Were you not listening to the message?" He sighed. "Ah well. Time to leave another one!" He took one big gulp of air before I cut him off with a worried, "No!"

"Then answer my question."

Damn, now what am I supposed to do? I'm pretty sure Mathias won't leave until I give him an answer. I sure as Hell didn't want to though. I didn't like this guy to begin with, so why would I say yes? If I say no, however, he'll just harass me until I say yes. That'll be a pain in the ass to take care of.

I blinked, looking up at his expectant face again. That glint in his eyes was all excitement, happiness and hope; hope that I'll say "Yes Matt, I will."

"Fine. I don't see why not." I mumbled, crossing my arms. Well…I didn't give him that exact answer.

He beamed at me and before I knew it, I was being pulled into a spine breaking hug. "ACK!"

"I knew you'd say yes Luke, I just knew it!" His happiness was being shone through hug and shouts of enthusiasm. "There was no way you could say yes to a face like mine!" He flashed me a grin as I pushed him away.

"Shut up. I just didn't want you harassing me if I said no."

"You won't regret it Luke! I'll give you the time of your life! How about eight?"

"Eight?"

"That's what I said."

I hate when people say things like that…

"Yeah, sure… Whatever."

I didn't think his grin could get any wider, but sure enough, it did. It spread from ear to ear, to the point where I thought-if he wasn't careful-he'd split his lip or something along those lines.

"Awesome." Out of the blue, I felt him kiss my forehead, running out the door before I had the chance to react. "I like that blush on you, Luke! See ya!"

At that moment, I wanted to yell at him with everything I had. But I couldn't bring myself to say the words. I hadn't realized I was blushing either, placing an experimental hand against my cheek. That heat wasn't easy to forget.

If he can make me blush like this, he better make this a great night for me. Otherwise, he'll pay for embarrassing me like this.

XXXXXXXXXXX

*"Hei hei!"- Hei Hei is the informal way of saying "Goodbye" in Finnish.

Ha ha! Chapter three is up and running. I really hope this story gets more support. I worked hard on this and I really hope to seem the same surge in faves and comments as for **Cat's Cradle**. Oh well. Reviews and constructive criticism are appreciated! I apologize for any grammatical or spelling errors! ¡Hasta luego, mi gentes!


	4. Sparkly Vamps and Angsty Men

Fourth chapter for the win! :D I like to update quickly, as you can tell. I'm constantly left in suspense with other stories, so I'm not going to be hypocritical by making you guys wait for the next installments of my stories. Ha ha! I love how you guys liked Mathias' message. Honestly, I wasn't trying to be funny. It just came to me and after I typed it, I started to think, "Why is it every time I'm funny, it's accidental?" then started laughing to myself. XD Hetalia and its characters belong to Hidekaz Himaruya-san! Review or Russia-san will beat me with his pipe! (lol)

(Oh and before, any fan girls start to flame me, I respect the fandom I made Mathias and Lukas tease, being I was part of it at one point. I grew out of it though when I realized how dumb some of it was. I've played for both the fan field and the hate field. It also _may_ contain a spoiler or two for you fans that haven't read the whole series yet. Do not flame. They will just warm up my fireplace and be my fodder to tease it more.)

XXXXXXXXXXX

As soon as Tino and the bunch came home, I made sure to give Tino a good scolding for making Mathias break down the door just to see me. He apologized profusely while Berwald fixed the door and its hinges, but I didn't really believe him until he swore not to do it again and stay away from Mathias for a while. If it weren't for them keeping in touch, I wouldn't be forced into going on a date with that tool to begin with.

Of course, however, when I brought up that I was going out later that night, he nearly exploded.

"Aw! Lukas is going on his first date! Berwald!" Tino cried, rushing to the living room to tell his Swedish boy toy. I swear, if my cousin didn't have the biggest mouth… No, wait. That title was taken by the idiot I was forced to go out with tonight.

"Lukas is going out with Mathias tonight!" I heard Tino squeal.

I poked my head out of the kitchen to look at those sea foam green eyes that scared others so much. "Yoo s're yoo d'n't need me to be a gu'rd d'g?" He asked me. Oh, wonderful. Way to make me feel better.

"No…" I said after a minute's pause. "I'm pretty sure I'll be fine."

"Why would he need a guard dog, Su-san? If that were the case, he could Hanatamago." Lukas gave him a look of disbelief. Did he mean that fluffy white thing in the corner? Yeah, like she's a good guard dog. She sometimes gets scared off by envelopes dropping out of the mail slot in the door. How could she protect me?

"He's a str'nge m'n. I d'n't l'ke 'im m'ch." He replied, putting in the last hinge screw before towering over Tino.

"Why is it no one likes Matt?" Berwald stiffened at the nickname, but calmed down a second after. "He's a good guy."

"Yeah, if you want a perv drooling down your neck all night." I mumbled to myself, crossing my arms for good measure.

Suddenly, Emil tugged at my shirt hem, looking up at me with curious, violet eyes eyes. "I still don't know what a perv is Lukie." He stated. Again…I really need to learn to control my tongue around him.

"I'll…tell you when you're older." Damn it, I hate telling him that.

"Aw… No fair." He pouted and, seeing that my expression hadn't changed, walked away, plopping onto the couch and turning on the television.

Tino looked at me and smiled. "Give him a chance. He just wants to get to know you."

Get to know me, my-! "Emil, cover your ears." I ordered. I hope he did so, because I had a few choice words for Tino. "Yeah, he really wants to get to know me." I started off, a strong sarcastic tone in my voice. "I bet he wants to get into my pants before that happens."

Tino had the nerve to roll his eyes at me, a smile still plastered on his face. "You're exaggerating. Just quit being so negative and have fun!"

"You expect me not to be negative about going out with some guy I met at a bar last night?"

"You're so melodramatic when you say it like that."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "You haven't seen melodramatic yet."

Berwald sighed and walked out; probably because he didn't want to be the awkward third party witnessing this. Both Tino and I watched him exit the room before turning back to each other. While I scowled at him, he seemed as cheery as ever.

"I'm not going to enjoy this." I finally said.

"Don't say that, Luke!"

"Why the Hell is everyone calling me that now?"

"What? It's a cute nickname. I'm happy Mathias actually managed to give you one and you haven't blown up on him yet."

… Well shit. He was actually right. I tried to kick him out of the car the first time he called me that, but it failed. So why in God's name was I letting him continue calling me that?

Whatever. That's not a huge concern right now.

"Of course I yelled at him for it." I'm such a liar. "He's just too much of a toolbox to listen to me." (A/N: That's right guys. Mathias upgraded from a tool to a full toolbox. Who else thinks he deserves a medal for that? Okay I'll get out of here. My crackiness will probably ruin this entire thing if I don't shut up soon.)

"Toolbox or not, he's interested in you. You should at least try to enjoy yourself."

I sighed, shaking my head and screwing my eyes shut. I pinched the bridge of my nose before saying, "Yeah, fine. Look, can we just end this? I still need to take a shower."

Tino grinned, a bit too much like Mathias if you asked me. _Wait, damn it! How did I think of him first?_

"You go do that, Luke. I don't want you all dingy and such for when Mattie gets here." That nickname is going to make me sick by the end of the day. I'll need therapy to get over the trauma at this rate.

I grunted once in reply, doing an about face and heading upstairs. That pervy boob they call Mathias better make this worth my time.

XXXXXXXXXXX

If I didn't go all out on our date tonight, I don't know what was. I adjusted my red polo and tightened my black tie, brushing off dirt from earlier. Those fan girls really know how to beat a man nearly to death. But I survived nonetheless, so chew on that fan girls! Placing my little black hat back on my head, I sighed with relief that I actually escaped their clutches.

I had spent a good hour at home getting myself of nice and "pretty" for Lukas, so I hope he appreciates my grooming skills. My hair remained much the same, but I had given myself a good spritzing of Axe after stepping out the shower, so I don't have to worry about BO anytime soon. If anything, I should be worrying about the grass stains that were now on my knees.

"Oi…" I mumbled, a quick crack of my neck putting me back in balance. "Ah, much better." Those fan girls will pay. I'll show them in about an hour. Lukas and I will exact our revenge!

I really have an overactive imagination; each time I think of something amusing, amazing or something that makes me look awesome makes me grin. This grin remained as I knocked on the door. "Lukas!" I called.

The door opened, revealing someone that definitely wasn't Lukas. He was too small. The poor little guy's head wasn't even up to my hip yet. But those violet eyes of his stared up at me in curiosity, blinking once or twice behind silvery hair.

"Hello, mister." He finally said. "You're looking for Lukie?"

Aw… So cute. At least now I know another possible nickname for him. "Indeed I am little guy." I ruffled up his hair a little as I said that, making his bed head a little worse with the action.

"Hey! I'm not little! I'm eight years old!" He cried, his bottom lip sticking out a little to form a stubborn pout.

"Aw." Oh, did I say that aloud? "And that's good for you. Where's Lukie?" That name was priceless! I have to use it sometime!

_In due time, Mathias. In due time._

"Brother's in the shower, mister." So Lukas has siblings? Why didn't he tell me this? Then again, I asked him everything besides that. Hey, if I intended on getting the guy to go head over heels for me, I have to make sure the guy's clean, right? So you couldn't blame me for asking what I did.

"Would you mind letting me in?" I asked him, crouching down so I was eye level with him. He stared at me for a second before slamming the door in my face, leaving me completely dazed.

I came out of my little coma and yelled out, "How rude of you!" I was still on my knees when the door opened again, leaving me staring at someone else's knees. A quick glance up at the mystery person sent a shiver down my spine for a quick second. There stood Berwald, glaring down at me with the stink eye, the little boy from before hiding behind his leg.

"Stranger danger, right Uncle Berwald?" The boy asked.

"Hm." He grunted, grabbing the back of my shirt collar and putting me on my feet. "Luk's is 'n th' sh'w'r."

I rubbed my throat, trying to get the burning sensation on that sensitive skin to go away. Damn, that had to be my only weak spot. "So he told me." I replied, pointing at the boy behind him.

Giving me another glare of disapproval, he finally spoke. "Hm. Yoo c'n c'me 'n 'nd w'it."

"Well thanks, Berwald." I smirked and pushed past him. "Finally! I've been invited in rather than have to break the door down."

A silence filled the room. "Yoo d'd th't?" The big Swedish guy behind me asked.

I didn't reply; just smiled at the success I just made.

Before I knew it, Berwald grabbed my collar again and dragged me outside, pushing me onto the lawn. "Damn man! What was that for?"

"I d'n't w'nt yoo bre'k'ng 'nyth'ng 'lse." I tried to appeal to his better nature, but he left and stomped back inside, slamming the door behind him.

… "Did I just get kicked out?" I guess Tino never informed him about why the door was on the floor when they got home. He probably thought I was breaking into his house earlier.

And so began my silent vigil on their lawn, staring up at the sky as stars started to appear.

XXXXXXXXXXX

"Lukas, you look so cute!" Tino exclaimed. I have no idea why I let him fix my hair right now, but he said I should dry it off first and put my barrette back on before I forget it. As if. I would never leave the house without that thing.

"You're lying, aren't you?" I honestly didn't think so. I was wearing my old blue sailor's suit, the little hat now sitting on my head after Tino carefully placed it their. It's a bit inappropriate for the situation, but it was the nicest outfit I had. Tino said it flattered my figure anyway (God knows why it would even matter though), so I got him to shut up and put it on. I had so say though, I did look kind of good in it; not that I'd give him the satisfaction of saying so. I had to keep up the fact that I didn't want to go with Mathias… Not that I'm lying about it! I just have to make sure Tino knows it, is all.

"Would I lie to you?" He said, smiling that warm, motherly smile he usually gave Peter and Emil. It was hard to ever say no to that face, to ever disagree with him when he decided to bring out "the big guns".

I sighed. "No. You wouldn't."

He grinned, letting out a cheery giggle before looking me over again. "I really hope Mathias likes how you look. You do look cute. If I were him, I'd be begging at your feet to be with me."

Okay! That was uncalled for! A bright pink started to dust my cheeks-as I saw from the mirror-in embarrassment. I quickly looked down at my feet to hide that fact. No way was I going to show any sign of weakness! I don't want him to get the wrong idea; that I was actually concerned about what that toolbox thought of my appearance.

"You're just saying that." I replied, standing up and heading towards the stairs.

"But I'm-." His statement was cut off by some sort of realization, making me look back at him. He was staring out the window, eyes set on something out there.

"The Hell are you staring at?"

"Is that Mathias on the lawn?" He pointed to a spot on the grass. Sure enough, a figure was lying there, staring up at the sky.

"Is he that dumb? Why doesn't he just knock on the door?" It wasn't until after I said that that I remembered beating him with a baseball bat this afternoon. Maybe he's worried I'll attack him again. I repeat, not that I care. I just figured it was pretty smart of him to fear me and my bat.

"I p't 'im th're." Both Tino and I turned to stare at Berwald leaning on the doorframe, arms crossed and staring at the floor. "I d'd'n't w'nt 'im bre'k'ng 'nyth'ng 'lse."

Tino stared at him for a moment before his expression suddenly turned into an understanding one. "Oh… About that," he started.

"Well, I should really be going. I don't want that dunce sitting there forever. He'll grow mushrooms if I don't get him out of there soon." And so I made my exit, leaving Tino to awkwardly explain to the Swedish giant the situation with Mathias and the door.

Upon reaching the door, I stood there for a second, telling Emil I'd be back soon.

"But that man out there is a stranger! He was looking for you earlier, but I closed the door on his face before he could come inside." My little brother puffed out his chest in the most heroic fashion he could possibly muster.

Well, I can tell we both share the same habit for slamming doors in the faces of people we don't know or like. In spite of myself, I chuckled and patted his head.

"Yes, well, he's not really a stranger. I'll be back later though, okay?"

He nodded, his messy hair bobbing up and down with it. "Can I stay up late though? Peter said there was going to be shooting stars later tonight!"

My happy expression dropped a little. I really need to get Berwald's kid to quit filling his head with dreams. I highly doubt there would be a meteor shower anytime soon. But I couldn't disappoint him. I just nodded and said he could, watching the excited little guy run off to tell his friend the good news.

I turned towards the door again and took in a big breath, hand resting on the doorknob. "Now let's hope I get no disappointment's tonight…"

XXXXXXXXXXX

The creaking of door hinges made my ears perk up a little from my spot on the ground. So I sat up and brushed some loose grass off of me and looked back at the front door. "Berwald? If you're going to kick me off your property, remember that- …. Uh. Hey…" What I saw completely derailed my train of thought. At this rate, I think my train's in the tundra of Russia or something.

There stood Lukas at the door way, wearing the most adorable sailor's suit. I haven't seen anybody wear one of those since my preschool days, when that was the most formal attire you could wear for picture day. Of course, I never followed that tradition. Those things just looked so cheesy to me back then. But if my little tike self had a drop of testosterone in his system and looked at Lukas right now, I'm pretty sure he would have changed his mind about those things being lame.

But there he was, in all his-admittedly-innocently stoic and sexy glory. I wasn't sure if it was the suit itself or the light in the background from inside the house-or maybe a little bit of both-but it was suddenly apparent to me that he had a slightly girlish figure, possessing more of a slim waist than any guy I've seen. I can thank the belt on his outfit for that realization. Heat started to pool in the pit of my stomach as I looked him over, jaw hanging slightly slacked into a ridiculously dumbfounded expression.

I quickly turned away and clutched my stomach. "Fuck…" I whispered. That heat was a little too familiar for my own comfort. For the sake of saving myself from an awkward situation, please let this feeling go away!

"You comfortable there, tool?" He said, the feeling in my stomach getting a bit worse at the sound of his voice. Damn it, why must Mother Nature do this to me?

(A/N: Aw…Mathias downgraded again.)

"I," Shit! Just that one letter sounded gruffer than usual! I cleared my throat before quickly slapping a grin on my face. "Am actually. Thanks for asking."

"Well you can get off the ground now. I heard Berwald shut you out." His tone of voice sounded subtly mocking, as if he was trying to hide the insult while he locked the door behind him.

_Pull yourself together, Mathias! Don't go and get a boner now!_ If only it was that easy to will something natural away… I could have avoided so many situations in high school if that were the case.

"Uh, yeah. He did." I replied. Right now, I felt like I was curling up into the fetal position in an attempt to hide what that bitch called Mother Nature decided to curse me with now.

A few seconds of silence gave me a minute to try to even out my heart rate with deep breathing. Of course, the universe wouldn't allow it and made Lukas speak again, wrecking my concentration.

"You sound a bit stressed." He said. Was it just me, or was there a thread of concern hanging onto that sentence?

_YOU'RE DAMN RIGHT I'M STRESSED! I just managed to get turned on by a sailor suit! A SAILOR SUIT!_ I shouted in the deep recesses of my mind. "Oh, it's nothing."

"You sure?"

No. I'm absolutely _not_ sure. "'Course!" Man, I'm actually getting a bit better at acting. And they said I'd never get a chance at stardom. I smirked despite myself, noticing that that thought actually helped me relax a little, blood actually flowing to my head and the rest of my body where it was supposed to be; at least for now.

And thus, Mother Nature is officially not a bitch anymore.

I finally stood and looked back at him, grinning normally now. "See? Everything's just dandy here!" Now let's just hope it doesn't happen again…

He raised an eyebrow at me and eventually shrugged, heading towards me. "So what movie are we seeing? I'd rather not be surprised."

"Oh! I hope you know what Hell I had to go through just to get these. It felt like a living Dante's Inferno, being nearly crushed by those fan girls." My hand plunged into the pockets of my black jeans, Lukas' confused face not being relieved by my statement.

"Fan girls?"

"Yeah. Them chicks are crazy, y'know. They'd do anything to get," I pulled out my hand, two tickets crunched into my hand's grip. "BAM!"

Lukas tilted his head to the side to read the writing on them, shoulders slumping once he was done. "Breaking Dawn? Of all movies, you decided to see Breaking Dawn? I'm not some hormonal teenage girl who's all angsty about jumping her vampire boyfriend."

If things go my way, you'll eventually want to jump _me_. "Oh come on, loosen up. It's our hate for Twilight that'll make this fun!"

"And how's that?" He crossed his arms.

"Because… We can sit through the movie and laugh about how ridiculous it is and make as many mean comments as we want about Kristen Stewart and how she never smiles and crap like that!"

He stared at me for a few minutes, giving me that condescending look before he sighed. "I better be able to laugh my ass off if this is what I'm been brought down to."

"I knew you'd see things my way! I guarantee you won't be able to breath, you'll be laughing so hard."

"If that's the case, you better call a paramedic."

"No prob, Luke!"

"You seriously have to stop calling me that…"

"Whatever you say. Luke."

XXXXXXXXXXX

"Do you really need that much popcorn?" Lukas asked, finally opening his mouth since we stepped into the theater.

"Hey, if I'm forced to watch a crappy movie, I'm going to beast it up in the meanwhile." Or so I told him. I had other things in mind for this obnoxiously large carton of popcorn. Seriously, only one person I knew could eat this entire thing in one sitting, and he was the person who spotted me at the gym. That Alfred guy can seriously pack the stuff down, yet he looks as ripped as ever. I blame the popularity of steroids, protein shakes and metabolism.

"What do you mean, if you're forced to? If anyone's being forced to see this train wreck, it's me!"

"Look, we can keep pointing fingers at each other or we can laugh at the movie. Personally, laughing sounds a lot better for this situation."

"Oh, yeah sure. Now I get to hear your 'hilarious' jokes." Lukas crossed his arms after putting his soda into the cup holder next to him, rolling his eyes.

"Trust me, I'll get you to laugh at least once. Like when I gave you that message earlier!" I exclaimed, the lights dimming down around us.

He smacked the back of my head pretty harshly, looking quite satisfied at the sound that echoed through the room. "Shut up and watch the movie."

"Ow…" I said, rubbing the back of my head. It's a miracle my hat didn't fly off my noggin and hit the screen with the force he put into it.

And so the movie started, the voice of Kristen Stewart starting to agitate me after three minutes of her talking. "Sheesh, shut up and just on with the flick." I said aloud, taking my first mouthful of popcorn.

Scene after scene, I kept making comments, Lukas joining in from beside me here and there.

"Charlie, calm down. She's not knocked up yet." He said. I actually laughed with that one, almost choking on the kernels in my mouth.

"Nice one, Luke."

He never responded, just kept his eyes fixated on the screen as the movie progressed.

The wedding scene came and went, the theater patrons around us aw-ing and crap at what they witnessed. A hand that wasn't mine reached over and took two kernels from the popcorn bag on my leg. A moment passed before I realized it was Luke who reached over and did that.

Looks like I'll be able to go through with my plan after all.

A smirk was slowly creeping up on my face as I brought the bag to my other leg, good ol' oblivious Luke not noticing a thing. Maybe this'll work after all. Hopefully it does I'm just _dying_ to see him blush again.

Bella and her now moody husband got onto their little getaway island, Bella's narration getting me almost as expressionless as she was.

Finally, out of the corner of my eye, I saw the hand I was waiting for reach over for the bag that wasn't there. Ultimately, his hand landed on my thigh. I looked over at him and smirked at his reaction. He was blushing, even the dim lights doing him no justice. That shocked and over all embarrassed look on his face was totally worth whatever scolding I'd receive next.

"Well hello there, Eager McBeaver. I see someone's excited." He quickly snatched his hand away, blushing even harder than earlier. "I think we can get arrested for this, but hey. Who am I to stop you?"

I guess I got what was coming to me when I was smacked in the back of the head again, my hat actually falling into the popcorn bag from the impact. "You're such a dick." He grumbled. Despite that ticked off tone, I could tell he was embarrassed beyond comprehension.

"Thanks. I'll keep that in mind if this relationship goes any further."

His glare seemed to pierce into my soul, his face flushing to more of an extreme than I could have ever imagined. "You're unbelievable. Why'd I even agree to come here with you?"

I grinned. "Because of my charming good looks?"

After a pretty awkward silence, he let out a sigh of disgust and looked away, facing the screen again with that sour puss look of his.

"Popcorn?" I asked, handing the bag to him. I was expecting another smack to the head, but when he slapped the bag out of my hand and sent kernels of buttered goodness everyone surrounding us, I was a little shocked.

Guess I ruined his appetite.

"Suit yourself." I said with a shrug. That got a little off plan, I'll admit. But I still got to see him blush again. What could be better than that?

My attention was brought back to the movie screen, raising a quick eyebrow at what I saw. "Well look at that. I see Edward still doesn't shave."

What happened next, I definitely wasn't expecting. But I still smiled at it. Lukas actually giggled at my comment, trying to stifle it by covering his mouth. Even though I just ticked him off, he's still laughing at my jokes? How nice of him.

Now that I have no popcorn, I feel sort of awkward. I have no where else to put my hands other than my lap. If I tried to put an arm around Luke now, he'd probably smack, say that was the last straw and walk home; which would be pretty horrible since his house is an hour's walk away. I didn't want to do that so I kept my hands to myself, this time.

"The Hell is she thinking? Getting in the water without any clothes. What if an eel passes by or something?" Lukas finally said. By the looks of it, he was very disinterested until I replied.

"Well if she's going to get screwed by her vamp hubbie anytime soon, she would have to be-." That's when it hit me.

Isn't there a sex scene in this movie? Sure enough, said scene came up, orchestra music blasting in the background. It was the only sound in the room too, being that everyone else was just as silent. Anyone that was laughing at our jokes earlier or yelling at us for being disrespectful was now silent. The feeling of awkwardness and a slight mix of raging hormones was so thick you could cut it with a knife.

Luke groaned, taking off his hat and covering his eyes with it. "God, I forgot about this scene… I wonder how strange it must have been for Pattinson and Stewart to do this."

I wasn't really thrown off by the movie; I've definitely seen worse. It was the ideas that started to pop into my head that I was more concerned about. I hadn't met Lukas until yesterday, but something about him drives me mad. Was it that he rejected me when I tried to be suave and get him to date me, for the sake of having a nice ass to squeeze? Or was it more?

A constantly emotional Bella sort of reminded me of Lukas. Sure, he wasn't a crazed hormonal teenager helplessly in love with a vampire, but the way he never really comes out straightforward with his feelings. He's a riddle wrapped in a puzzle stuffed in an enigma. I keep having to do drastic things to see his true emotions, and even then it was still held back. The worst part was, I haven't done a lot of drastic stuff yet.

And my supposed lust for him when I was on his lawn; was that just hormones acting up at a horrible time, or was it my subconscious trying to hint to me the one way I can get him to truly respond to me? To tell me how he feels.

The thought of bedding Lukas was starting to run rampant in my head, the fantasies popping up and multiplying like rabbits. Each little daydream got worse and worse, either more graphic than the first or with far more detail. Maybe his slightly girlish frame was flexible. Maybe he was a kinky sort of fella. Maybe he lost his gag reflex like Alfred for some reason and can deep throat a guy. Maybe then I can get his true feelings to come out, get him to finally open up to me.

_Damn you Mother Nature…_ I thought to myself as my head felt a lot lighter than before. That was a bad sign. The less blood in my head meant the more blood in my groin. Even though it was dark in there, it wouldn't help in the slightest. I'd probably come up with more ideas in less than thirty minutes and be unable to control myself from at least touching Lukas once or twice.

I had no place in his life to be even thinking about this. He probably doesn't even like me! And if he does, it's probably just as an acquaintance. What kind of situation did I get myself into? To think it all started with me having to cover Feliciano's shift and Tino actually allowed to drink at the bar I work in, that Tino invited his cousin along thinking he could probably get him to loosen up.

I resolved to high tail it and get somewhere safe; hide out for a few minutes so I can think about this kind of stuff and not get caught being spaced out or have Lukas realize I had a hard on mid-movie, with no real cause visible. Damn if that happened, he'd think I was a perv.

… Shit, he already does.

"Uh… hey, I'm gonna go to the bathroom." I said to Lukas, who glanced at me briefly before turning his attention back to screen.

"Whatever." Damn it! That's exactly what my issue was!

I frowned and got up, rushing out of that room as quickly as my feet would carry me. I can't stay cooped up in the bathroom all night, though I wish I could. I'll have to come out eventually, face the attractive beast that was Lukas and be my usual self.

The door to the bathroom slammed behind me and I ran to the nearest available stall, locking it before leaning my head on the cool, tile wall. Now maybe I can think in peace.

"Pull yourself together Mattie. Come on. You can face him without popping one, can't you?" Here I go talking to myself again.

"No. I'm pretty sure I can't."

"You've dealt with worse than this."

"Yeah, like what?"

I was quiet with myself for a moment, allowing the tiles on the wall to bring my body heat down. Loosening my tie just a little, I opened my mouth again and continued my ranting. "Maybe you have a point there."

"Yeah I thought so."

"Can't you just be a little more subtle about coming on to him and let Lukie over there warm up to you?"

"If I do that, he'll never like me."

"You think he does now?"

I punched the side of the stall in aggravation. What the hell was I doing to myself? I should have never gotten myself into this situation.

"I don't want to be subtle like him though. He never speaks his mind unless its out of anger."

"So get him angry."

"What'll that accomplish, genius?"

"It'll get you a little farther than you are now."

"Sounds like a ridiculous idea."

"It's the only one you got."

Again, I punched the stall, hearing it rattle with slight satisfaction.

"That's what pisses me off."

"I thought it was Lukas' silence."

"Mostly that."

"What did I get myself into…?" I muttered, coming down from my angered state. This is exactly what I have to do to Luke to get him to speak his mind. So damn frustrating…

"That's it. I'll get him to open up to me if it's the last thing I do!" With a quick turn on my heel, I exited my Thought Stall and ignored the stares of confusion and fright I received. Time to face the beast.

XXXXXXXXXXX

A/N: Hey guys! You missed me? :D This chapter is by far the angstiest and emotional of the chapters written for this story so far. All this seriousness on Mattie's part is essential for this story to continue any further. This chapter certainly came out a lot longer than I thought it would. 5, 398 words in the actual chapter. *Phew* It was all worth it though.

Lol Looks like someone got a bit excited in the middle of the chapter, eh guys? XD We all knew Mattie was a perv deep down. What'll Mathias say to Lukas? Will things ever get better between them? And will Hanatamago even make an appearance in this whole story? Tune in next chapter to see how this all goes down! Reviews and constructive criticism are much appreciated! I apologize for any grammatical or spelling errors! ¡Hasta luego, mi gentes! This is Wurstlover178, signing off!

**Songs listened to while writing this (in this exact order, with loads of repeats):**

Juliet-LMNT

Check Yes, Juliet-We the Kings

If It Kills Me-Jason Mraz

Fall For You-Secondhand Serenade

She's A Lady-Forever the Sickest Kids

Love Game-Lady Gaga


	5. Twinkle, Twinkle

I really like this story. The emotion and angst I intend on putting in future chapters is really starting to make _my_ head reel with excitement! I can't wait to see you guy's reaction. :D Not to mention I find it easier to write in first person, whereas my other story is in third. I just think there's too much "He did" "She did" "They said" "They all" and all that. Third person is better for descriptions of things though, I'll admit.

And for you guys that read Chapter Three, you know what I just found on Photo Bucket? :DDD Norway. Wielding a bat. For the win! I literally stood there and stared at it for a minute before going, "THE UNIVERSE IS SAYING I MUST CONTINUE MY STORY!" Lol I'm over dramatic. Nobody ever reads these things, so I'll shut up now. Enjoy! Hetalia and its characters belong to Hidekaz Himaruya-san! Review or Russia-san will beat me with his pipe! (lol)

XXXXXXXXXXX

I looked up at Mathias waddling his way past other people and sit back down next to me. "It's about time you showed. The movie's almost over."

He had this look of exasperation flash on his face for a moment before saying, "Well that's good." From the tone of voice he just had, it seemed like the last thing on his mind.

"Probably one of the worst movies I've seen so far, as far as plot goes." I started out. Hey, someone has to break the ice. "But the acting was definitely better. They must have gone to acting school before they started filming this."

Mathias started nodding before I was even done with my statement. "Mhmm." He replied, leaning forward so that his elbows were on his knees. Well that wasn't obnoxious or anything. What happened to the annoyingly flirty and loud guy from before?

I poked his shoulder, not getting any sort of obvious response from him. "Earth to Mathias. Do you copy?"

No response. In fact, the only thing he did was bend under my finger and bob slightly, blinking once before going off into his trance again.

"Oh, so now you're not talking to me?"

Still no response.

"Way to go and ruin what had been a sort of good mood on my part."

Not even a bat of an eyelash.

"Unbelievable. Fine, don't talk to me." What's with his silence all of the sudden? Was this the same guy, or some government spy dressed up as him?

I highly doubted the latter of my two thoughts. Don't ask why, I just did.

After a few minutes of silence, I couldn't help but feel worried. What happened to him that suddenly threw his usually aggravating demeanor out the window? Was it some bad news he just got, or was it something I did earlier? Not that I think I did anything that wasn't out of bounds; except for grabbing his leg. That was totally an accident though; he made me do it so it didn't count.

So what the Hell was his issue? I poked him on the shoulder again, quickly adding in a couple more for good measure. Still nothing. What'll it take to get his reaction?

The entire birthing scene came and went, the long awaited for ending shocking the entire audience. Seriously, I thought the people that came to see this read the books. Nitwits…

The entire time this went on though, Mathias was motionless, the silence honestly starting to stress me out a little. It's not like I needed him to be loud, it's just that I was just starting to get a bit of concern for the well being of the normally buffoonish guy next to me.

"Come on Mathias. This isn't cool." Did that sound like a whine? Nah, can't be. I'm probably hearing Emil whine about something from my memories. "Snap out of it already, you spaz."

I was actually kind of relieved when he glanced at me. "You got some new material. Good for you" was his curt and sort of rude reply.

Wow. Something must have seriously messed him up.

"Seriously, what's wrong?"

He shrugged at me briefly, his gaze glazed but glued to the credits on the screen.

If this was frustrating, I don't know what was. "Let's go Mathias. Movie's over anyway."

Another shrug and he stood, not giving me a second glance while he made his departure. I pinched the bridge of my nose quickly, having to nearly sprint to catch up to him.

"Yeesh. Slow down." The day I talk more than Mathias was the day I sort of feared. Yet here it was, staring me dead in the face. The tall blond man looked completely stiff, a pretty huge difference compared to his usual aggravating nonchalantness, his shoulders hunched a little, like he was trying to hide from something yet couldn't. Well, with that red polo of his, it was kind of hard not to miss him. I suppose red's a good color for him though; it's bold, speaks a loud statement and draws your attention, kind of like Mathias himself.

Why the hell am I thinking about colors when he's basically PMSing here?

"Work harder to catch up." His voice seemed so low and frustrated. Okay, something's obviously on his mind. I intend on finding out what it was.

"Why are you being more of a douche than usual?" Eh, I could have said that a little nicer. But who was here to judge me on how sympathetic I sounded?

He gave me no answer, but I noticed his hands were balling up into fists. That silence spoke a lot more than a thousand words.

"What happened to the guy who kept trying to get into my pants when we first met? Am I annoying you or something?"

Mathias only glanced at me as he held the door open for me, the chilly air looking like it didn't deter him in the slightest. This damned silence can go die in a hole. I'll be damned if I can't find out what made him act so strangely.

XXXXXXXXXXX

This car ride had to be the worst one yet. Lukas was still trying to get into my head and figure out what was wrong while I was being all, in his words, "dickishly moody" behind the wheel. There was a lot more that went with that quote, but I'm not going to go into that.

"Y'know I thought you were trying to prove something to me. What happened to your plans, hot shot?" He said, still poking at my cheek. Now I sort of know how he feels when I annoy him. But hey, at least when I do it, it's all in good fun. His brand of poking into my business was sort of intrusive. I had a lot going through my head right now and he was wrecking my concentration.

"My plans?" I asked. That ought to keep him busy for a little while.

"Your plans to get me to actually like you. I would have never guessed you would suddenly be all PMS-y and crap. Or did Bella's emotions tug at your heartstrings?" A smirk spread across his face when I glanced at him.

"That's a little bit of a big accusation don't you think?"

"My accusation is as big as your efforts are filled with air."

Was that an insult? If it is, I guess my efforts are helium filled at this rate.

"So why are you so moody? You're a veritable Edward at this rate and it's starting to bum even me out." Lukas crossed his arms and looked at me in the eyes; or as much as he could when mine were glued on the road.

"Just got a lot on my mind." It was true, so he couldn't exactly object to it.

"Way to state the obvious."

"'Least I answered you."

Yet another silence filled the car. Almost three minutes had passed before he said, "I guess you're right."

_Nice. Got him off my back for a little while. Maybe I can change the subject before he starts to question me again._ My conscious couldn't have thought up of a better idea. "So what's your last name? I never caught it due to, you know, getting slapped and you walking out and all."

He gave me a look somewhere between confusion and sudden annoyance. "Now you're talking to me?"

"Can you quit beating around the bush? You'll squish the berries." I love that saying. Every time I hear that, I get hungry for blackberries or maybe even strawberries if I had a sweet tooth that day. I should nosh on some strawberries once I get home…

His stare softened a little, a contemplative look taking its place. "That has to be the smartest thing you've said yet." I grinned. "Bondevik. Lukas Bondevik. Not Luke, your information."

Despite everything rushing through my head, I chuckled. "Say what you want, I'm not going to stop calling you that."

"You better if you value the safety of your-."

Okay! That's a bit harsh! "Bondevik doesn't really sound like a name I've heard before. What is it; Russian, Latvian, some sort of North countr-ian?" Phew… Good thing I cut him off. I don't want to be giving him any ideas.

"It's Norwegian. With a last name like Køhler, you got to be from some sort of Scandinavian country."

Norwegian. That sounds pretty nice actually. At least we're both from a Viking country. Hey, now I can use my Viking drawl! I grinned at him before doing so. "So ye come from the vast Kingdom of Norway, eh? Well this plunderer happens to be from the King of Scandinavia!"

He raised an eyebrow at me, probably because of the poorly polished speech. "Denmark you mean?"

"Ye be catching on fast. I like that in a lad." A quick wink at him gave me the reaction I really had to see more often. That blush really did look cute on him, almost matching up to his sailor's suit.

_Don't start with that now, Mattie._

"Quit that accent already. It's very poorly done. What was that, a pirate?"

Ouch… way to hurt my ego. "Aw. You don't like my Viking accent?"

I nearly jumped out of my seat when Lukas busted out laughing; the most I've heard him do since I've met him. So far all he's done is silent chuckles and pent up giggles. Now here he was, laughing hysterically like a drunken hyena over something he probably thought was ridiculous. What was initially surprise on my face turned into a content smile; laughter must be the best medicine after all. Even though it wasn't my laughter, my head started to clear up a little from the sound of hearing the so controlled guy next to me suddenly let loose.

He wiped a tear away from his eye, still chuckling here and there as he said, "That, had to be the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard!"

I feigned depression and frowned, my eyes telling otherwise. "Aw, that's harsh. At least I tried."

Lukas nodded quickly, a chortle or two escaping his lips. "Yeah, sure. And failed completely!"

"I wish I had a corner for me to sit in now." I placed the back of my hand on my forehead dramatically. "How I'll waste away knowing I failed!"

"Aw, boo hoo. Let me play the world's smallest violin for you while you do that." He started to rub his index finger and thumb together, the smirk on his face teasing me.

"Hey! Spongebob reference!"

"You still watch that show?"

"It was _supposed_ to be an adult show. Then the little kiddies came along and started watching that square guy. You know Spongebob and Patrick were supposed to be gay for each other?"

"You don't say?" I was so pleased to hear his voice actually sounded sort of intrigued. "Now I need to tell my brother to stop watching that show."

"Why would you do that? Wouldn't you support gay rights considering you're gay yourself?"

"It's not that. I'm just concerned of what other stuff that have hidden in that show that's meant for adult ears to hear."

My turn to laugh. Was he really worried about his brother hearing something he probably won't be able to catch unless he was Berwald's age? Then again, that kid seemed sort of smart. A little smarter than any kid I've met if he knows to slam the door in my face instead of invite me in.

"You do that. That little guy's cute though." I said once I came down from my laughing high.

"Spongebob?"

"What? No! I meant your brother!"

"Oh…" Silly goose. Where would he get the idea that I thought Spongebob was cute? "I suppose he is. He can be quite the handful when he wants to be though."

"Pffft. You exaggerate. That little guy doesn't look like he'd be too much trouble."

"_Emil_ can be if he wants to. You haven't seen him when he sees that bird of his and eats too much licorice." Lukas shivered in his seat. Whatever his brother's like when he's in a bird tranced sugar rush, I suddenly fear for my peace of mind.

"I think now I'll take your word for it."

What happened to the stress from earlier? At first, this entire conversation was to keep Luke occupied on other things rather than my different demeanor. But now everything just seems to be rolling off my tongue, natural, no worries in the world. Why can't things always be like this? I hope later on down the road that I get to hear him laugh more, jest at me in a way that is trying to make me laugh at my mistakes, and then laugh along with not because I feel like amusing him, but because I find it funny as well after I look at it again.

Maybe… I hope… That seems to be the only thing I do or say lately. Why am I thinking about things and wishing they could happen when I can get out there and make them happen (without disturbing the order of the universe, of course)? I can easily try to appeal to him, make him at least interested in me. I wasn't sure if there was even a physical attraction he had for me (though I can guarantee, if there is, it's _gladly _and _definitely_ returned), but even then I didn't want him looking at me and saying, "Hey, nice bod, but you're a douche. So 'bye."

No. If I really want him to like me, at least at a friend level, he can't be swooned over by good looks yet. He can gawk from afar if that's the case, but I won't let it get any further.

Until I deem the waters are safe, from here on out, Lukas and I are friends. Just friends.

XXXXXXXXXXX

At least I got Mathias off of his Moody Cloud. He seemed a lot better now, annoyingly cheery again. Now my universe was balanced again.

"You better take my word for it. You haven't seen what happens when you piss off that bird." I muttered, turning my attention to the windshield again. Where are we anyway? We haven't gotten any closer to town than we had half an hour ago. In fact, from the looks of it, it looks like he was driving away from it.

"What kind of bird is this anyway?" He asked.

I had half a mind to change the subject and ask him where in God's name we were. But I wouldn't be that rude. "It's a long story." I said, glancing up at him. Did he really want to hear this strange a story?

My heart stopped beating for a moment when he looked down at me and smiled. It wasn't his usual smirk, the one he flashed me before saying something that undoubtedly made me lose it. It was more like an understanding one, warm and inviting, like hot chocolate on a cold winter's day. "We have plenty of time."

"…" Well damn it. What was I going to say? Oh yeah, the story. If my heart rate ever goes down, maybe I can choke it out. I need to see a doctor sometime soon.

"Heh, um… Ah yes. Emil, Tino and I had gone to the zoo as a family thing. This was about three years ago, and being teenagers, Tino and I let our eyes wander instead of concentrating on Emil and what he was doing."

"So what happened?"

"I'm getting to that. Anyway, he was five and relatively small for his age so it was no surprise he was able to crawl through small spaces. When we finally looked back and checked for Emil, he was gone! After a thirty minute search party, we found him sitting in the… Arctic Exhibit surrounded by puffins."

Mathias gave me a confused look laced with disbelief. "His bird's a puffin?"

"Yeah… Apparently he befriended one and named it Mr. Puffin; since he's so young, what name would you expect? He refused to leave the zoo without it and Tino ended up having to pay the place two months worth of his summer job in order for Emil to keep it."

I wasn't surprised that Mathias started to laugh at the thought of all that, slowing down the car a little so that he wouldn't crash into anything because of his teary eyes. "A puffin! He has a pet puffin! That has to be the best thing I've ever heard!"

"He really is a stubborn one."

"I can tell! I'm starting to like this little guy more and more! That is just plain awesome!"

"You can tell him that in person. He's not one to take compliments a lot."

"Shame. He sounds pretty epic."

Epic. I'm pretty sure he's not a dramatic play. But whatever… It's probably some sort of slang I don't get yet. I bet I'll run into those more often with him around. Wait, what's that supposed to mean? Was I expecting to be with him more? Being sure not to let him notice, I glanced at him from the corner of my eye. He was too busy driving, so I didn't have to worry about being caught yet. But something about him was getting me nervous, my pulse still racing with no sign of coming down anytime soon.

"Where are we going anyway?" I need to distract myself somehow.

"You'll see. We're almost there, so keep your shirt on."

I couldn't will the blush on my face away in time. Instead, it painted the picture of embarrassment all over my expression. "W-who said I'd take it off?"

He stopped for a minute, looking over at me with a raised eyebrow. "It was just a figure of speech."

Nice job, Luke. Way to get flustered over nothing. Damn, even I'm calling myself Luke. "Good. It better be."

"It'll stay that way."

"Well I'm just saying."

"And the message has been delivered."

"Can we change the subject?"

"Hey. You're the one that suddenly wants to take your shirt off."

"I NEVER SAID THAT, YOU DOPE!"

I thought he would have grinned, but he didn't. Just kept on smiling and waved it off as if it was nothing. "Whatever you say," Another pause. Is this going to be a normal thing with him? "Lukas."

… Holy shit. Did he just call me Lukas instead of Luke? I think I believe in the apocalypse now. Time to get the bomb shelter ready.

Mathias suddenly stopped the car and unbuckled his seatbelt, looking over at my dumbfounded and confused figure. "You coming or are you going to chill in the car?"

"Um… I guess I'm coming."

"Good, good." He climbed out of the car before me and shut the door, leaving me to sit there for a few seconds before he opened up my door.

"Thanks." I mumbled under my breath, determined to keep my gaze on my feet for now.

"No prob."

"Where are we?"

"Look up and maybe you could see it." Before I knew it, he was standing behind me and put a gentle hand on my chin, forcing me to look up at my surroundings. I was blushing profusely at this point, but I was more fixated on why the hell we were on a hill in the middle of nowhere. All sorts of trees framed the borders of the clearing, from the tallest pine to the smallest shrub; it was plain to see not many people came here. What looked like soft green grass swayed under my feet from the cool breeze, a clear sky above us.

Mathias brought back his usual grin and let go of me, walking into the middle of the hill before stopping, bringing out his arms like an eagle's and falling back onto the grass.

The fuck…? I headed over and stood over him, shocked that he wasn't even looking at me, just at the sky. It wasn't until I actually opened my mouth and said, "What are you doing" that he glanced at me before taking up his silent stare down with the sky again.

"Lie down. The grass won't bite." He finally said.

_I'm more concerned with what's on the grass right now biting me_. I shrugged and walked away, only to lie down in a way where the tops of our heads were barely brushing against each other. Completely vertical so that nothing fishy can happen. "So what're we doing?"

"Star gazing."

Oh God. Did he get this dating idea off of or something? "For what? Nothing's up there."

"It's not what's up there now, it's what's coming."

"Well what is it?"

He sat up and looked back me all too quickly, patting my head like I was a little boy like Emil. "You'll see."

God, if this wasn't the stupidest thing I've ever witnessed. The one moment he acts sort of mature in the car and now we're staring at a black sky hopelessly looking for something that wasn't there. What was I missing? Was Mathias trying to paint some big romantic picture or something? If that's the case, it's definitely not working.

"This is ridiculous. I'm going back to the car." I sat up but was brought back down by a tight grip on my wrist. Damn that stupid, Danish-

"You'll miss it if you leave."

"Miss what? There's nothing there but balls of gas!"

"It's not a ball of gas I'm looking for."

"Then what? This is all so childish!"

"Live a little. Let loose for once and act like a kid for a few minutes."

Now how am I going to respond? It's not necessarily something I can argue with, yell at him over or beat him for. The only option left in my bag of tricks was to shut up and accept it. He was acting a bit strange, but not unpleasantly strange like earlier.

I sighed. "Fine. This better be worth it."

He chuckled while I lied back down on the grass, nearly hitting his head with mine as I did so. "It will, trust me."

"That's what worries me…"

The time passed by slowly, our hopeless search for something invisible not getting me interested in the slightest. So much for being a kid. A hand shot up into the air and I knew it was Mathias'. He was pointing up at something, the aura of glee coming off of him like bug repellent. "Look!"

"What?" My eyes widened at what I saw. That's what we were looking for; the shooting star. I had promised Emil he could look for it with Peter tonight. How did I forget? He and his friend must be squealing like…well, little boys, right now in excitement.

"Make a wish Lukas." He said, his tone of voice dying down into one of pure awe. What was with his turbulence of emotions today?

I watched the star shoot past us quickly over our heads. Despite its come and go nature, its appearance was breathtaking, I'll admit. What one did get to see of it was pure beauty, nature's way of sending hope into an imaginative species like my own.

So what would I wish for? That's the million dollar question.

Mathias sat up-at least from what I can tell in my peripheral vision-that warm smile from earlier making its appearance for the second time tonight. I wouldn't be surprised if that was the last time I saw it today, or even for a little while. The Dane will probably just go back to his usual self; obnoxious with a fifty percent chance of pervy, followed by an occasional flirt.

Yet every time that happens, my heart races, rebooting into a speed I never knew it could even reach. Every time he tried to flirt with me so far, I tried to avoid or blushed completely at it. When I accidentally grabbed his leg in the movie tonight, I blushed because of the comment he made. Or was I really blushing at the fact that it happened? That I was confused?

I'm certainly confused now. What did I really yell at him for? Sure, a bunch of stuff he does is pretty nerve wracking and sends me over the edge of my anger cliff. But there were a few things I yelled at him for that didn't even have a logical reason behind it.

_"Don't call me that."_

_ "Whatever you say…Luke."_

What did I yell at him for then? I get called Lukie by Emil everyday. So how did the name of Luke-which sounds a lot more mature than Lukie-aggravate me? Or was it just an act I put up for making it clear he both embarrassed and angered me in the bar?

_"I think I'll pop a blood vessel with this life hazard here."_

_ "Pop a blood vessel? That sounds pretty bad. Maybe you should just take a chill pill and come hang with me more often!"_

I certainly wasn't about to pop a blood vessel then. If anything, I was probably embarrassed and nervous about being with him more often. But why; because he made a fool out of me in front of Tino at the bar? No. If it was that easy to answer, I wouldn't be thinking this deeply right now.

_"Hey there Luke! It's Mathias again! By now I probably broke down your door and you're swooning over me and my manliness! ... Love from Mattie!"_

I didn't want him to repeat the message shortly after that. Was it because I was annoyed already because he broke into my house, or because of something more?

Damn my head hurts.

"You're so slow today, Lukas. Need a hand getting up?" And there he was; the source of all my confusion, my sudden worry. He stood over me and flashed me his usual grin-a slight comfort being I didn't have to worry about anything else-and extended a hand out to me. I stared at it for a minute before shaking my head.

"No, I'm fine."

He shrugged, but kept his hand out a few seconds longer than her should have after I declined before letting it drop to his side. "I'll go start the car and warm it up. It's really starting to get cold out lately. Don't want the engine to freeze over, y'know?"

I just nodded and watched him walk away, leaving me to my lonely thoughts. I could just sit in a box right now and not move for days.*

Forcing myself to take my eyes off of the blond that just left me to my thoughts, I looked up at the sky. Would my wish still count, or is it too late to make one?

I inhaled deeply, exhaling in the same fashion to watch the fog that floated above me, ultimately messing up my view of the sky for a few seconds.

"Come on Lukas! I don't want to have to send a Luke-sicle home to your cousin!"

I ignored him and opened my mouth again to whisper, "I wish I understood what was wrong with me right now."

XXXXXXXXXXX

The car ride back to Lukas' house was rather quiet, and this time it wasn't my fault. It was all on the guy next to me, who had his arms in a fashion that looked like he was hugging himself and staring out the window blankly. I had asked if he was cold, but he just said no and curled into a tighter ball. There wasn't much I could do after that, so I kept my mouth shut and drove on. By the time we reached his house, I thought he was asleep he was so quiet. But he wasn't. He just unfurled and unbuckled his seatbelt, sitting still for a moment.

I frowned. "Something wrong?"

He glanced at me, doing a double take before looking back down at his feet. "Nah. It's nothing." The car door popped open and he climbed out, yet again still before he did anything else. Bowing down so that his head was back in sight, he looked at me in the eye. "I am."

What's he talking about? "You're what?"

Another awkward silence. "A virgin."

Oh. That. He's actually answering me?

"I don't really need to know that, you know?"

He glanced at the upholstery of the seat in an obviously nervous fashion. "I never answered you," He started to rub the back of his neck. "So I figured better late than never."

Wow. I honestly just sat there for a minute and smiled at him. I didn't think he'd ever answer that question. Of course, I kind of assumed with the reaction he gave me that night. But this was nice anyway.

"Well, thanks." He nodded, a brief smile of anxiety on his face before he shut the door and heading for the front door.

Maybe I'll get my wish after all. As he stepped inside, I drove off, wondering but knowing I couldn't know what his wish was. All I could do was replay mine over and over in my head and just pray to God or any deity whatsoever that it would come true.

_I wish Lukas would at least see me as a friend. I'm prepared to wait for as long as it takes._

XXXXXXXXXXX

*This is a reference to a yaoi I read for DenNor yesterday, Norway refused to get out of a box. The reason was a mystery to all the Nordics until the end.

A/N: Aw. Mathias had a touchy moment and Lukas had a thought chapter too. XD I'm proud of this chapter, despite what my sister said is "sort of cliché". It's my cliché so suck on that. :P Tune in next chapter to see what happens next! Reviews and constructive criticism are much appreciated! I apologize for any grammatical or spelling errors! ¡Hasta luego, mi gentes! This is Wurstlover178, signing off!

**Songs listened to while writing this:**

Hey Juliet-LMNT

She's A Lady-Forever the Sickest Kids

I Hate Everything about You-Three Days Grace

Killer-The Ready Set

Check Yes Juliet-We the Kings

Fall For You-Secondhand Serenade

Accidentally In Love-Counting Crows


	6. Dirty, Dirty Copenhagen

Does anyone else hope that this story doesn't end soon? I do. I'm in love with it right now. XD I'm such a fan girl for my own story. I fail. /shot 'OTL Ah hell, I'm proud of fan girling over my own story. :D Anywho, I'd like to give two special shout outs before the next chapter starts.

First one goes to WinterStorm000, whose continued support has been going strong since Chapter 1. You're probably one of the most loyal of this story's fans.

Second shout out goes to FlyingMintBunnies! :) Seriously, after you said "OOO! You're the one who's writing that awesome DenNor fic!" I nearly bursted out of my seat from the motivation boom. :D I couldn't believe someone thought of this story as "That awesome DenNor fic". I wrote this because of an obsession that had sprouted while I was working on my other story, plus the fact that I couldn't find any fics that revolved around these two. They were always the background love filler. I can also blame my friend for showing me a DenNor video on Youtube.

Muchas gracias to you both. :'D

Anywho, you guys know the drill! Hetalia and its characters belong to Hidekaz Himaruya-san! Review or Russia-san will beat me with his pipe! (lol)

XXXXXXXXXXX

It's been a week since Mathias and I have seen each other. And in that time, I've come no closer to answering my own damn questions. I barely got any sleep last night staring at the ceiling because I was trying to figure myself out.

Emil was still asleep, so I don't have to worry about him yet. I sipped my coffee in the kitchen, my mug painted into the Norwegian flag. Emil made me this last year at school for my birthday. It was pretty well done and I never expected him to be able to make one with so much expertise, so I've used it since. The little T.V. on the kitchen counter was switched onto the news, discussing how the temperature today would be it's lowest "in history" since whatever year. For once, I guess the weather report was right; the drop in the temperature lately has been rather dramatic.

Great. I'm so bored I'm discussing the weather.

What was I going to do with myself today? I can read my mythology books. Then again, I've read them at least five times each, so I don't want to kill what's left of the fun in them. I can actually spend the day with Emil. But then I have to worry about Mr. Puffin pecking me nearly to death again. I swear he had the temperament of an Italian gangster.

I really have nothing to do today. Crap. I glanced at the time on the microwave; seven thirty. A little earlier than usual. Not by much, but enough to make me a sitting duck in the kitchen. I finished off my tea and slowly washed the mug in the sink, trying to take as much time as possible cleaning it. Of course, if I washing it anymore, I'd probably ruin the mug, so I gave up and put it in the dish drain before leaning on the fridge.

Is there anywhere I have to be today? Not as far as I know.

Do I have to meet someone today? Nope.

…. I've drawn to the conclusion that my life is starting to become dull.

XXXXXXXXXXX

There isn't any good music these days. It's a bad thing for the modern music industry when I have to turn to 90's music to get a good tune or two. Unfortunately for me, even the 90's and Now channel had nothing on.

I love living by myself. Just like my job at the bar, living alone has its ups and downs.

First off, I can walk around in my boxers all day if I felt so inclined to (like right now) because I don't have to be decent for anyone unless someone's coming over or I have to answer the door. And even then all I have to do is pull on a pair of pants! What could be better than laziness on that level?

Secondly, I don't need to worry about feeding anyone other than myself. I had no dog to worry about like Tino did, no little kids, not even a goldfish. Good thing too, because I think I'd starve the poor thing.

Third, I'm the king of my own castle. No one can tell me what to do or when to do it; except for my boss. Then I have to do it. But that's not at home, so forget I even said that.

What's the only downside, you ask? Well… It gets really lonely living alone.

I mean its fine and dandy not having someone yell at you about random stuff all day or be a random cock block when you least expect it (not that I've had a room mate or a person to be cock blocked from in a while). But sometimes the knowledge that you have no one to talk to or mess around with puts a lot on your shoulders. Like the thought of, "What am I going to do now?" Those are the worst.

I sighed, my eyes glued onto the T.V. from my spot on the sofa. Tino had been over last night and we both got totally wasted. I don't necessarily remember everything that happened, but it seemed like the average drinking night from what snippets I did have locked away in my head.

"I need someone to talk to," The first person that popped into my head was Lukas. The dream was brought down when I remembered I gave him my number but he didn't give me his. Maybe he didn't have a cell phone. I could always call Tino's place, being that they live together. Then again, I don't want an awkward third party knowing about my phone calls; not that the conversations would be anything over PG-13 of course.

Was I doomed to forever be lonely? It's been a little too long since we last hooked up; as friends at least. Not me trying to get him to fall for me. I felt pretty pathetic being a little hung over in my Danish flag patterned boxers (which are awesome, by the way) on the couch without a soul to talk to.

"I _really_ need someone to talk to."

The talk of snow was starting to pollute all the news channels. Honestly, I didn't think I'd ever stoop to a boredom low enough that I would watch the news.

That's pretty sad for me.

"Crap…" I shut off the T.V. and decided to just stare at the ceiling. "If this isn't the most boring day I've ever had, I don't know what is." Where's Lukas when I need him? He's probably sitting at home and enjoying the silence.

Of course he would. Why wouldn't he? Then again, he should at least be a little happy they I'm not drooling over him and his nice little body…

"No, bad Mathias!" I slapped myself for that, one harsh smack to teach me not to do that again. No thinking about that now. He needs to accept you first, at least at a friendly level. But how can I not after that image of him in that sailor's suit yesterday? That suit suited him so well, flattered his figure perfectly. It's like every curve he possessed just popped out to mock me while he was wearing that thing. From his slim stomach to that relatively small waist, his hips and his nicely toned legs…

Again, I slapped myself before my fantasies got any worse. "Control yourself for once Mathias! It's only been a week!" Yes, I had made a deal with myself to wait at least two months before I make any kind of move; and that's only if we were even together. So I suppose I'll be waiting a while.

A buzzing came from the side table next to me, ears perked up a little at the noise. I glanced back at it and noticed my cell was ringing. No doubt it's probably Ludwig or Tino or someone along those lines. When I picked it up and looked at the number, however, I didn't recognize it.

"Hm." I pressed the little button on the touch screen before saying, "Køhler here."

"Um…Hey Mathias." I know that voice anywhere. But could it be? He actually remembered my phone number enough to call it?

"Hey Lukas!" I exclaimed. This is awesome! Definitely one of the stepping stones in our relationship.

"Ugh. Don't be so loud. It's only eight in the morning."

"My bad. So what brought ya to call me?" Oh, I'm just _dying_ to know.

"Boredom." Aw… I knew it. "That and I was… kind of starting to hate the silence." Say what?

"Aw, well that's sweet of you." From my end, I was grinning from ear to ear. This is priceless. Truly amazing! "Personally, I was getting lonely myself."

Just from the silence that followed, I thought he was blushing. How I'd love to see his face right now. He cleared his throat. "Who said anything about being lonely?"

"I did."

"Your opinion doesn't matter here."

"Ouch. My ego has been hurt yet again." Though he couldn't see it, I placed a hand on my chest. "You're quite the killer Lukas."

"What happened to Luke?"

Oh? "You want to be called Luke?"

"No! I-I mean… You just stopped calling me that all of the sudden. I wanted to know why that was."

"Well, you asked me a while ago not to call you that. I'm just listening to your orders."

He was silent again, the only sound audible being scratchy movement on his part. He was shifting, maybe out of being uncomfortable? "Well finally."

I chuckled into the phone, stretching out a little on my couch. Might as well get comfortable, right?

"So, got any plans for today?"

"Um… I don't believe so. Why?"

"Maybe we can hang later. Haven't seen each other in a while. It'll be a little reunion!"

"Ow! My ear!"

"My bad."

"Ugh… What do you have planned this time? An expedition for the Lost Arc?"

"Well no. But I'll put it in my little top hat as our next possible destination." I'm so good, I make myself laugh. And laugh I did. I should just pull out my little black hat now and fill it with little bits of paper with ideas of what to do on them! "Though I am an exciting person," He must be rolling his eyes right now. "I just thought we could just chill and enjoy each other's company. Like good friends should." That last bit should catch his attention.

"What's the catch?" Well damn. He doesn't seem effected at all.

"No catch. I just want to spend time with my bro."

"We're not brothers." He quickly retorted, his voice sounding slightly agitated.

"By bro, I meant dude friend."

"We're just friends now? No drooling down my neck or trying to grope me or crap like that?"

"Hey, wait a minute! I never tried to grope you! If anything you did!"

"That was an accident caused by you and you know it!"

I am sooooo loving his reactions. But this is something I should try to avoid. I need him to see me as a friend before my efforts can be increased.

"Det er mine or mod dig, ven."*

"Ikke snakk til meg i Dansk, rævhøl!"**

"Language, Lukas. What if Emil's around?"

"He's not. I checked."

"Still, you up to hang?"

He sighed and I knew the battle was won. Normally, I'd say, "No one can resist my charms." But now didn't seem like a good time.

"I suppose. I have nothing better to do."

"Great! You're not too far away so come over to my place and we'll head out from there."

"Where do you live again? Baker Street, second to last house on the right, right?"

Aw, he remembered where I live! And here I thought he wanted me out of the car so badly that night, he completely ignored me and where he was.

"The one and only. Be here at noon, m'kay?" I grinned in silence to myself. This is another stepping stone; He knows where I live.

"Uh, yeah. See ya then, I suppose."

"'Bye!" He had hung up on me while I was halfway through saying that. A little rude, if you ask me. Okay, it's… eight twenty now. I got a good three plus hour window to get ready. I groaned and rolled off the couch, landing purposely on the floor. Now where are my pants…?

XXXXXXXXXX

(Time skip of Awesomeness)

Well this is strange. I wasn't planning on breaking down the door today, but I felt the strong urge to. It's only fair since Mathias broke mine down. Like they say; an eye for an eye. But I shook off the feeling of revenge weighing down my shoulders and simply rang the doorbell. I better not be kept to stand here long; its freaking cold out here! And that's saying something. This was the first time all year I had to put on a parka, some gloves and my old pink bunny earmuffs. I've had them since I was young and couldn't find my new pair this morning. So I was forced to wear these instead.

"Hold on!" A voice from inside called. That toolbox. I'll kill him if he says that again ten minutes from now. "Finally! Pants! Holy-!" A whole lot of thumping and crashes were suddenly audible from within the house.

"The Hell did he just do?" I sighed. There was a window a few feet away from the door, so I figured I might as well check to see if he's okay. I grabbed the window ledge and hoisted myself up, being shorter than the window itself. What I saw was a bit typical for the Dane.

There he was, at the foot of the stairs, on his back. He must have fallen down the stairs in his rush to answer the door. The only strange part was that his pants weren't pulled up all the way-just barely to his knees with unfastened button and zipper-and he had a black T-Shirt clenched between his teeth. His face twisted in pain and I heard the slight mumbling of "Fuck…" before he tried to get up again, failing completely as he slipped on the legs of his jeans. The shirt fell out of his mouth, ignored from its place on the floor. He probably resolved to get his pants on while on the floor because he didn't attempt to get up again.

"What a spaz." I said, shaking my head a little. I don't know why, but suddenly it didn't feel as cold out here as it did earlier. My attention was brought back to Mathias (a.k.a. The Spaztic Failure) and continued to watch for my own amusement. I was actually looking forward to seeing him slip and hurt himself repeatedly. Unfortunately for me, he didn't get up; just continued fixing himself.

"Just a minute!" He called out again. "Stupid button…" Guess he didn't know I was watching him, huh?

He continued to fumble with the button he complained about, his face twisted with concentration. Honestly, who needs to concentrate so hard over a button? It was in that moment of my continued staring that I realized he was sort of muscular. Broad shoulders, a well sculpted chest so defined it was like he was carved from marble like Michelangelo's David, the gently sloping ghost of abs developing on his stomach and his well toned arms. I found myself, not staring, but gawking. How am I just noticing this? His polo from the other day wasn't too tight, so that's probably why. But those abs look like he's been working on them for a while…

What the Hell am I doing? I shook my head and brought myself back down to solid ground. That was a little weird. I wasn't just checking him out, was I? I shook my head quickly. "No no no. I was just distracted."

"I'm coming!" Oh boy. I ran to the door and stood there for a second, Mathias opening the door and grinning at me. I'm just now starting to fear my safety for today.

"What's up, ven?" He said cheerfully, grabbing his coat and gloves from a hook next to the door.

"Just standing here and listening to you fail from inside." His shoulders drooped a little; probably didn't want me to know that. "And don't call me that."

"You mean 'friend' or don't call you that in Danish?" He asked. Obviously, he was grateful I changed the subject.

"Don't say it in Danish. It pisses me off."

"Wonder why that is." To my dismay, he had the _nerve _to roll his eyes at me while he locked the door behind him, heavy black coat now over his shoulder and gloves of the same color covering his hands from the harsh chill.

I smacked the back of his head and smiled with growing satisfaction of the sound of his forehead hitting the door in front of him. "Ow…" He mumbled. "Don't you think that was a little harsh?"

"Not in the slightest." I sneered. Mathias rubbed his forehead and turned to me, eyebrow lifted.

"What's with the pink earmuffs?" His hand reached out to grab one of the muffs and pull it before it slapped against my ear again, causing me to let out a little yelp.

"They're old. I couldn't find my new ones, so I just put these on."

His smile took the place of his prior grimace, that same smile I never thought I'd see again; warm and inviting. "I never pegged you to like pink rabbits, Lukas. It's a nice discovery if you ask me."

My face started to heat up as my pulse accelerated. It seems I still need to find the cause of this "illness" of mine. "Now do go being ridiculous. There's nothing special about them." I stepped off his porch and headed down the walkway, hands firmly planted in the pockets of my poofy blue parka.

He soon caught up to me and flashed me a grin, a hand patting my shoulder. "On the contrary, I think that this shade of pink matches the one you usually have on your face." He poked at my cheek, watching with a mischievous glint in his eye as I took a step to the right. "Like that one!"

I swear, this guy is just asking for it. "Shut up. What did you drag me out here for anyway? Another nature watch?"

Mathias shook his head. "Nah. But I was thinking about it." He started to chuckle until I glared at him. He then cleared his throat and smiled again. "I just figured we could hang like normal friends would."

I scoffed a little at this and retorted quickly. "There's no such thing as normal in your dictionary."

"That hurts my feelings Lukas. Maybe I should go to my corner."

"I don't have my violin with me, so you'll have to brood without the background music."

"OH SORROW, Lukas is unprepared!"

"Shut up. You would be too if your ear drums exploded while on the phone."

Mathias was suddenly in front of me, a finger pointing up to the sky while he smirked. "Oh Lukas…" Said finger started to jab at my chest, almost accusingly. "Ear drums and violins have nothing to do with each other." My expression must have fallen because he immediately perked up. "You're making up excuses!"

My body went into autopilot when I reached out and flicked his nose. He took a step back at the action, holding onto the tip of his nose with two fingers. "Don't go mocking me like you've never done it before."

"But I haven't like you just did; connecting to unrelated things to make one. An oxymoron response."

"You know what oxymoron means?" By the time I said this, we were already at the end of the block, standing their aimlessly and waiting for cars to pass.

He frowned at me. "You act like I'm an uneducated barbarian."

"For all I know, you are."

"That hurts, considering we're both blood line Vikings. By calling me a barbarian, you're insulting yourself self Danes and Norwegians used to be like glue." To make his point, he stood ridiculously close to me and bent down to my level, shoulders now pressing together. "See? Like glue!"

"Doesn't mean I can't insult the Dane side of the ancestor stick." I said. This was almost getting too close for comfort. I waddled away from him and crossed the street, leaving Mathias to stare at me from back on the sidewalk.

"Not very nice though. I bet your ancestors are cursing you to the deepest pits of Hel for insulting a former ally!" The stupid blond was suddenly behind me, hands up and fingers clawed like he was trying to be a menacing troll. I rolled my eyes and him and flicked his nose again, receiving the same reaction from earlier.

"I bet they aren't since you're the thickest Dane I've ever met."

He looked down at me with an almost sinfully gentle look. "Aren't I the only Dane you've met?"

"Way to make the situation worse." I turned on my heel and left him where he stood. I should be relieved right now; he's not flirting with me or trying to molest me right now, so there's a plus. But something about our conversation seemed empty, like there was no substance or meaning to it. Maybe I was feeling the weight of the fact that he _wasn't_ flirting, though I highly doubt it.

And even though Mathias isn't hitting on me, I still sneer and poke fun at him. Did I feel it was my duty to as his "friend" or was there some sort of psychology behind it I do not understand? Tino usually told me when a person insults you constantly yet never leaves you are romantically interested in you. Was that what I was doing to Mathias, even though he was making an effort to be my _friend_?

"No no no… Impossible." I muttered, face palming myself.

"The hell are you doing, silly goose?" Mathias said from behind me, the close proximity a little uncomfortable. "Did you not have a V8 this morning or something?" He grinned down at me, as cheerful as ever.

I returned the stare and shook my head. "No. It was just something stupid I thought of." I finally said. I need to distract myself from this somehow. A quick swipe of the scenery from my eye told me we were in front of a travel agency building, brochures and travel guides of different countries sitting on display stands.

Mathias followed my line of vision and grinned a little wider at the first thing he saw. "Sick! They got brochures about Denmark!" He quickly scurried to the display stands and took out the little booklet he was so excited about, reading it over. "'All the wonderful sights of Copenhagen.' Hell yeah they're wonderful! It's Denmark!"

For the umpteenth time today, I rolled my eyes and joined him. "Give me that." I snatched the book out of hands as I said this and looked it over. "You make it seem like Denmark is Atlantis."

"It might as well be! There's a lot of history to my home country!" He exclaimed, placing his chin on my shoulder and reading with me. "I mean, look at all the museums in one capital!" His finger pointed to the assorted lists of "attractions and pit stops a sensible tourist should make to make their experience in Copenhagen one of the best", as it boldly advertised.

"This has to be some sort of joke…" I opened the book to the first page my thumb slid between. What I found was… quite the discovery. We both gawked at it for a few minutes before Mathias chuckled nervously.

"Well then… um. Copenhagen. No place like it."

"Do you Danish pervs really have a Sex Museum in your capital?"

XXXXXXXXXXX

My eyes darted down to the pages and I saw in bright red letters, _MUSEUM EROTICA IN COPENHAGEN, DENMARK_. Oh God. Now he knows it exists."Well, it's closed down. So there's nothing to worry about here!" I tried to snatch the book back from his hands, but he dodged me.

"Whether or not this book is updated, I want to see what exactly you Danes do in your free time." Lukas said, flipping through the pages slowly to get a good look at all the pictures they had. My chin was still on his shoulder-getting more and more uncomfortable being I'm taller-so I moved it to the top of his head.

He opened up to a few pictures of the museums exhibits, his eyes widening. "Dear God, you Danes really have nothing else to do with your lives other than stare at pornography do you?"

I hadn't responded, staring at the assortment before us. I was there _once_ but that was because my father thought it was "time for me to learn where babies really came from", plus they had sex education for adolescents there. I was scarred for a few days, being he and my mother had absolutely no shame in bringing me there and enjoying it themselves, but I got over it. I guess that's what made me the lady killer I was today. What a tragic tale…

"Um…" was the only thing that managed to come out of my mouth. Was Lukas really intrigued by this or was he trying to tease me and my imagination? It's only been a week but I have no shame in saying I've woken up from an erotic dream of Lukas before. It was only once so far, but that one time was enough to make me fear waking up because of a wet dream at ungodly hours of the night.

The ever so stoic Norwegian under my chin flipped the page, seeming to be unfazed by the photos he opened to. "Hm…" We both tilted our heads to the side to get a better look at it. What they had showed really was at an odd angle; had we not turned our heads, Lukas could have been saved from his laughing and I wouldn't be blushing uncontrollably right now.

Through his laughter, Lukas was able to say, "Wow! Is this why Denmark was the first to allow gay marriage?" He laughed even harder at this fact while I stood there dumbfounded, head still tilted.

Dear God, whether or not Dane's are perverts didn't matter to me right now. All that I was able to think about were the many images running through my head. Damn it Luke! Why must you be so tempting?

Thoughts of someone tying me up in chains and taking advantage of me usually doesn't help me get off, but throw Lukas in the mix and I may just let him have his way with me. I normally don't bottom, but for him, I think I could manage. My eye twitched as I thought of the roles switched, Lukas moaning my name from under me and just _begging_ me to punish him for mocking me so much, pleading to be teased less and just plain fucked, asking me with a cute, girlishly blushing face to move a little faster or harder... It wasn't that I immediately wanted to get all kinky and crap; the pictures in front of me just accelerated my timetables and made me think of these things that I pray to God could happen in the future.

Something tells me Luke isn't a fan of chains though…

A drop of red fell onto the booklet, making Lukas raise an eyebrow and look up at me, only to get a drop of the red stuff on his cheek. His look of confusion turned into that of complete horror. "Um… M-Mathias?"

"Hm?" I hummed, still staring down at the booklet in his hand. If I looked at him directly, I probably wouldn't be able to control myself from dragging him into the nearest alley or hotel room or something and fucking his senseless.

He took off one of his gloves, hand wiping my nose-very shakily, I might add-and looking at the red smear now on it. "Your nose is bleeding…"

I immediately snapped out of my little daydreams, now realizing the steady stream of blood coming from my nose. "Oh shit!" I exclaimed, hands shooting up to cover my nose. There's no way I'm getting blood on my clothes! This damn jacket costed me seventy bucks!

"Just calm down and lean your head forward." Luke's expression was enough to make me calm down a little; stress wise, of course. The tightening feeling in my pants was becoming far too uncomfortable. Hopefully he doesn't notice. I did as he told me to and watched him take out a little plastic bag of tissues from his pocket.

"I guess I'll have to clean you up myself. You'd probably think of something else nosebleed inducing if you do it yourself." He ripped out a tissue and started to wipe at my nose, leaving me staring down at him with wide eyes. "Breathe through your mouth or you'll inhale blood."

Again, I listened to his orders, trying to steady my breathing and bring my heart rate back to normal. It's a little strange to say, but the feel of the tissue on my chill bitten face felt comforting, almost warm like the hand that was doing it. I don't know exactly what made me do it, but I found myself nuzzling my nose into the tissue in a desperate attempt to get closer to the source of the gentle, somewhat loving caresses I was receiving. Poor Luke was caught off guard, staring at me with a lot more confusion than just now.

I ignored it though, the need for more of that tender touch becoming like an addiction. My eyes were shut with a content smile only letting out a little of what I was feeling. Why can't Lukas be like this all the time? It seemed like just minutes ago he was flicking my nose; now he's trying to help it stop its still continuous flow of blood. Maybe he does care. Whether it's at a friendly level or a romantic level, I couldn't tell. I just wanted more of it.

He eventually began wiping again, taking his time with polishing the blood off my nose, lips and chin. "You really are a strange person…" He mumbled. I opened my eyes to see him eyeing my face for any imperfections.

"A strange person you happen to be friend's with." I smiled at him and watch his expression deepen with confusion. Was I doing something wrong? Pissing him off again, maybe?

"Yeah. Yippee skip for me." He finally said. He took a few cautious steps to the nearest trash can and chucked the stained tissues into it. "I'm friends with the guy who gets a nose bleed looking at gay pornography in a tourist booklet."

Little does he know it wasn't the porn that gave me the nosebleed.

"The one and only!" I exclaimed, pointing at myself with a grin. He smacked my shoulder with a look of distaste and I knew things were back to normal. Shame. I'll miss that tenderness he had when he was cleaning me up.

"Maybe one day you should go to Copenhagen and look at that stuff in person." Was he teasing me now?

"It's closed down."

"Gee, I wonder why. Maybe because it sullies the Danish name."

"You said it, not me." My smirk received a look of anger.

"You tricked me into saying that!"

"I may be awesome, but I can't predict the words that'll come out of your mouth."

"Rævhøl!" Lukas shouted before stomping away, hands buried in his pockets.

I smiled at his comeback before saying, "Ven." to myself and following closely behind him.

XXXXXXXXXXX

* "Det er mine or mod dig, ven."- "It's your word against mine, friend." Danish

** "Ikke snakk til meg i Dansk, rævhøl!"- "Don't talk to me in Danish, asshole!" Norwegian

Ha ha ha! :D I love putting dirty thoughts into Den's mind. BTW, The Museum Erotica in Copenhagen, Denmark is absolutely, 100% real. I didn't make it up. It shut down in 2009 due to financial troubles, I believe. But it's still standing. XD I laughed so hard when I found this out that I just HAD to make it a part of the fic.

Even though it's my B-Day, I'm posting for you guys. :) Seeing the comments will be enough of a birthday present for me, so long as you enjoyed it. Sorry for taking so long to post this guys! Reviews and constructive criticism are much appreciated! I apologize for any grammatical or spelling errors! ¡Hasta luego, mi gentes! This is Wurstlover178, signing off! ;D


	7. Luke's Bear Hug Hijinks

Lol! WOOT! I now have the Kolkolkol~ ringtone for my B-Day, along with a NorDen table (*wink to FlyingMintBunnies* ;D) and I'm pumped! I love how you guys reacted to the sex museum thing. :D It was so wrong, yet so right for this fic.

Anyway, expect some more of that dirtiness soon… Very. Soon.

The usual schtick with Hetalia not mine and review or Russia-san will beat me with his pipe! (lol)

XXXXXXXXXXX

"STOP CALLING ME THAT ALREADY!"

"Ven~!"

"Rævhøl!"

"Veeeeeeeennnnn!"

Alright, this has gone on long enough! "What the hell is wrong with you?" I finally snapped, facing him on the dime and jabbing my gloved finger into his chest. Mathias was caught off guard for a second but managed to stop as quickly as I did before we crashed into each other.

"What ever do you mean ven?" This question made my eye twitch. If that weren't enough, that damn smirk and eyebrow waggle he just gave me was enough to throw me over the edge.

If this goes on any longer, I'm seriously going to have a hemorrhage of the brain. I threw my hands up in the air, red faced not from the cold but from being so utterly peeved at the man before me. "I told you for the hundredth thousandth time! Quit calling me that!"

Mathias "tsked" at me, shaking his head like he was trying to hold back a laugh. If he knows what's good for him he better. "Last time I counted, you called me an asshole twenty times and told me to shut up close to fifty. Am I correct?" He stared down into my eyes with his own with some sort of glint in his eyes I couldn't explain.

I could feel myself tensing up, ready to strike. "Call me that one more time and I'll leave right now."

That shut him up. His expression fell dramatically, that mystery glint disappearing just as quickly. He stood up straight and nodded stiffly at me, making me smile. Now I know how to make him shut up for future reference.

"Thank you." I turned around again and headed down the sidewalk like I was before, smiling at myself with satisfaction. Maybe now that messy haired menace will stay out of _my_ hair.

"Why do you hate it so much?" I heard from behind me. Yet again, Mathias was close at my heels, almost stepping on the back of my boots with his own with the little distance we had between us.

Glancing over at him, I said, "Just because." My glance was brought back to the scene in front of me. It was just now I noticed we were heading in the direction of a park that already seemed to have a partially frozen over lake.

"Doesn't sound like a very good explanation. I'm acknowledging you as a friend instead of dating material. Shouldn't that make you happy?"

It really should. But something about that word aggravates me. Whether it's the way he says it, the language behind it, the meaning or just plain him, I still hadn't a clue. "Well, it doesn't. So cut it out."

"Would you rather me call you something else?"

This made me stop dead in my tracks, nearly toppling over when Mathias didn't catch the action in time and crashed right into me. I had stumbled forward a little, but caught myself in time to look back at him. "Like what?"

He took a moment to think to himself, eyes tracing up and down my body for any hints. His stare soon looked into my eyes before redirecting to my ears, a smile sudden smack dab on his face. "Let me see your earmuffs for a second."

"Um… sure?" I took off my earmuffs and handed them to him, a bit embarrassed by his request. I still can't believe he started to compliment them earlier; they're absolutely stupid. The heat on my face made it not seem so cold out here for a moment, cheeks numbed by the sudden change in temperature.

Mathias, of course, noticed this and grinned. "Pink kanin!" He exclaimed with excitement, putting on my earmuffs. "Because you're always blushing pink and you have pink bunny earmuffs!"

Pink Rabbit? He knows how I blush a shade of pink, which really sucks. Even now I'm blushing more and more. But why did that sound like a girlish nickname a man gives to his lover?

I shook my head. "No. I'm not a girl."

"Want me to go back to Luke?"

"No."

"What about Lukie?" At this, my eyes widened. How does he know that nickname? I looked up at his eyes and saw that grin grow wider on his face, only deepening my feeling of dismay.

"Where did you-?"

"Remember when Emil slammed the door in my face?" So that's how. Emil must have said Lukie in reference to me. Now I'll never be able to live this down…

"Um… I'd rather you didn't."

"Why? It's cute."

"That's reserved for Emil and Emil only…"

"Hm… Alright." He started to stroke his chin with his finger as if he had a beard there, smile pasted to his face. "How about Norge?"

I raised an eyebrow at him. Really? "You want to call me the Norwegian word for Norway?"

"Suits you doesn't it? Besides!" He took off my earmuffs and put them back over my ears for me, proceeding to tousle my hair. "It's better than Luke, Lukie, Pink kanin and ven, right?"

He has a point there. Norge sounds a lot more respectable. But there really wasn't anything wrong with Luke. I was just sensitive about it at the time. Maybe I still am, but it sounds better than Lukie. I shivered slightly at the thought of _him_ of all people calling me Lukie.

I shrugged in my best stoic expression possible and walked away. "Call me Norge or Luke. Whichever strikes your fancy." Did I just dig the grave of my own dignity? From the sound of his cry of success, I think he was happy about it too.

"YES! I can really call you Luke if I want to?"

"Yeah, yeah. Just don't kill it."

"Ha ha!" The sound of his boots thumping on the ground warned me that he was running towards me. I quickly braced myself for whatever hit I would soon receive. Before I knew it, he spun me around and wrapped his arms around me into a spine breaking hug. I gagged a little at first but held my breath when I realized I was being spun around at the same time.

"THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" I yelled, my protest only a minor undertone compared to his excited laughter.

"Luke Luke Luke Luke Luke Luke Luke Luke Luke Luke Luke LUKE!" I thought I told him not to kill it! Though, who am I to blame him? I've restrained him from calling me Luke for a while now; ever since the first day we met. He's probably exploding from the happiness he got from me accepting the pet name. "Oh, I'll never get tired of this! Luke Luke Luke Luke Luke!" His voice started to get sing-songy all of a sudden.

I rolled my eyes, my face still planted into his chest. The faint smell of cologne masked by his jacket burned my nostrils, my face wrinkling up a little at the smell. The jacket though felt a lot softer than I thought it did. Sure, it looked heavy, but the outside of it felt like leather with a tiny layer of fuzz on it. My face buried itself further into the strange material, only getting closer to that stinging yet intoxicating scent on his chest. Even through the jacket and the black shirt I knew he was wearing under it, I could feel each curve of muscle; the artistically sculpted chest, the pressure of his biceps forcing me closer to me-all of which I was secretly admiring from the window earlier. Even those abs… Damn it, those ghostly abs. It wasn't until I put my hands on the coat over them that I realized they weren't a figure of my imagination from a lack of sleep. Each detailed curve and crease in the jacket only gifted my fingertips with the faint feeling of toned ridges, the new found knowledge I possessed making me smile.

Like a speeding bullet, something struck me. The sudden awareness of the situation I had almost hurt to think about; I was warming up to his sign of affection. Not only that, but I was basically feeling him up!

A deep red blush was most definitely spreading all over my face, a warm feeling deep in my stomach disturbing me beyond belief. I've felt this before plenty of times in high school, but never on this sort of embarrassing level. The hands I had on his stomach immediately shoved him away, both of our eyes wide by the time I did so.

I stumbled back onto my feet, earmuffs going askew from my head in the process. Mathias only looked at me in shock and disbelief for a second before saying, "I over did it huh?"

"Um… Y-yeah! The Hell were you thinking? I told you not to over do the Luke!" I used the distraction to my advantaged and poked his chest, my finger not jabbing at him like I meant to do. Instead, it just froze and stayed there, finding itself pressed firmly over his heart. Mine, meanwhile, was going super sonic at this point. Blood rushed throughout my body, pounding in my ears with an unforgiving fury. If that wasn't enough, I could feel my already half hard erection pressing painfully tight against my jeans.

"Sorry, sorry. I just got excited it all."

"You better be sorry." The response didn't come out as a scold, much to my dismay. It sounded more like I was begging.

He raised an eyebrow at me, looking down at my finger still on his chest then at me. "Um…"

Once he noticed my finger, I dropped it and took a step back. I need to get away from this; figure myself out before it's too late! "Look, I have to go."

"Why's that?"

Hm… why indeed…

"I just remembered I was supposed to baby sit Emil and Peter while Tino and Berwald go out today. You know how those lovebirds are." I waved off my accelerated speaking like I told a bad joke. This only deepened what I believe was Mathias' confusion. Why did the sickest feeling deep in my chest say it was suspicion?

"Oh. Well maybe we can see each other tomorrow?"

"Yeah! Sure! Whatever you say!" As soon as this came out of my mouth, I turned around and ran off. Let me just quickly tell you that it's very awkward to run when you're aroused…

"See ya, Luke!" He yelled from behind me. By the time he did though, I was turning a corner and making my way back home at a faster pace I'm sure Speedy Gonzales would be jealous of.

It's only been a little more than a week since Mathias and I have met and I'm already starting to feel him up! This is bad! Really bad! What if he goes and tells Tino what I just did? Oh God, what if he actually enjoyed what I was doing? Or did he pull me into a hug on purpose? Was he planning the whole thing?

I shook my head as I kept running, passing by the park down the block from my house. Mathias isn't that smart; that much I can guarantee. Then what in God's name made me do that? Am I really losing control of my feelings for him?

… Even worse, do I have feelings for him or is this just mindless lust?

How would I be stupid enough to fall in lust with some pervy bartender I met by accident? Why do I insult said "pervy bartender" when I know he has some good qualities to him?

I'm just in denial, that's why. I deny, deny, and deny ever having feelings for the Dane because he approached me in such a horrible manner. I instantly deemed him a pervert and ended the discussion there. But I know when he wants to be he can be caring. His jokes are all meant in good fun. And anything he says to annoy or anger somebody has a seventy five percent chance of being completely the opposite of his intentions.

In barely a week I managed to get completely confused or angered by his advances, slapped him in a bar, tried to kick him out of a car, insulted a movie and its entire fandom, smacked or punched him more than I have anyone else, brought him down from a Moody Cloud, talked about my family, star gazed, called and most likely blew an eardrum, witnessed him fall down the stairs in all his half naked glory, accepted looked at a travel booklet with erotic pictures in it, cleaned up a nosebleed and accepted being called Luke with him, all leading to me touching him in a way friends really shouldn't and getting slightly (okay, maybe not slightly) turned on by it. What the fuck is wrong with me?

By the time I got to my front door and stared at the knob, I was breathless. All that running can do a number on a man. That's when it hit me, hit me like a locomotive. I pressed my head on the wood and tried to catch my breath, failing with the panic running through my veins.

"…Holy shit, I think I love him…"

XXXXXXXXXXX

Ha ha! :D The moment we were all waiting for! Lukas admits it to himself! I must say, though, I'm worried rushed things and might have made him a little OOC. /shot/ "OTL Plus I think it could have been written a little better; or at least polished in a few places. But whatever the case, I tried my best and I updated quickly! This chapter is shorter than the ones I've posted lately, but I swear the next chapter will be worth it. ;) I apologize for any grammatical or spelling errors! Reviews and constructive criticism are much appreciated! ¡Hasta luego, mi gentes! This is Wurstlover178, signing off!


	8. Puzzle Pieces

HA HA HA! I have returned! (Will I ever not? Lol! XD) I've been obsessed with this fic and got over my OCDish moment with my other fics enough to just plain continue on with my constant updates of this story.

I'm guessing you guys who read this must have saw in the description, "Warnings inside". Mwahahahahaha. I promised you guys I would make this chapter worth your while and I intend on it. ;D This chapter contains a false smut, a bit of cursing (like it always does /shot) and maybe a suggestive theme or two:P ENJOY FELLOW YAOI FANS! Kesesesesese~~~!

The usual schitck. REVIEW OR RUSSIA-SAN WILL BEAT ME WITH HIS PIPE! (lol)

XXXXXXXXXXX

Why the Hell is everything so blurry? Even worse, what's going on?

The room I was in smelled like something I had never smelled before; musky with a dash of sweat and something else I couldn't put my finger on. Though it wasn't the smell that necessarily had me disturbed, though that was part of it. My real concern was set on the man on top of me.

I have no idea how I got here, how long I've been here or even who the guy that was straddling me was. But the knotting feeling deep in my stomach told me otherwise. As I strained to see who it was, the stinging feeling of something intruding my insides wracked me with pain for a second before it started to move. My concentration was wrecked from there, my mind suddenly bent on release.

A very degrading moan that was very unlike me passed through my lips when I noticed something yellow. Yellow? Pale yellow? Flaxen? The person above me only chuckled, leaning down to kiss my forehead and continue on with his ministrations.

The thing inside me spread slightly, stretching me out to the point where I cried out in pain. Silence was brought down on me when very dominating lips pressed against mine, completely driving his tongue into my already open mouth. This sort of invasion was something I normally wouldn't take sitting down-or lying down, in this case-but I think it was lust that drove me to accept it.

I felt suddenly empty when the mystery pain giver left, realizing in that second they were fingers soon replaced by something certainly a lot bigger and a lot more painful. Another shout of pain escaped me before I melted into a puddle of pleasure.

Who the Hell is this and how do they know how to toy with me so well?

Bright blue eyes met my dull ones, the shadowy figure groaning from what a believed to be pleasure. On a normal day, I'd be scared, but something about those eyes softened me and made me relax; there was a certain familiarity in that gaze that made me putty in his hands.

That knot in my stomach only got tighter and tighter when I was repeatedly rammed into, the man's arms caging me in so I had nothing left to stare at other than his blurry face and well toned torso. That stomach looked a little too familiar…

The bed beneath us creaked from the pressure, blocking out muffled groans and moans from the both of us. Tighter, tighter became that knot, as well as warm, like it was constricting my insides. I could feel the inevitable end coming close when the person above me leaned down, sucking on my earlobe for a second before his lips grazed the shell of my ear.

"Norge…" It moaned, said moan sounding more like a very raspy, territorial growl. My eyes snapped open. Dear God! That yellow I was thinking so hard about suddenly turned into wisps of blond hair that was messier than usual, those blue eyes dark with lust but shining with a mischievous look of glee and inner gloating. That blurry face turned into an all too familiar one; Mathias. Either this is one really messed up yet good dream or one seriously succubus-slash-incubus induced nightmare!

I felt like screaming but it only turned into a loud whimper, which grew into a cry when I was unknowingly having my neck kissed and sucked on by him. The only thing left that I could do was moan and ride this whole thing out.

XXXXXXXXXXX

The only thing left that I could do was moan and ride this whole thing out. My eyes had snapped open but I was left with a very foggy view of the ceiling. It didn't matter much anyway since my eyes half lidded themselves out of instinct and the heat in my stomach that was rapidly building towards my point of no return.

I can't say I've necessarily woken up to a "wet dream" (as people call it) because of something erotic I was dreaming about. Sometimes it just happened and I was none the wiser until I woke up that morning. So this was definitely a new experience. The pain of having to wait, however, was far worse than any tease I've ever had the displeasure of running into.

Unfortunately for me, that end never came. Apparently, waking up too soon only cut my release short. I cursed to myself, clammy all over to the point where my pajamas stuck to my skin.

"Damn it…" I groaned. At the moment, I only had enough strength-or willpower-in my arms to wipe away the beads of sweat on my brow. "This has got to be the worst moment of my life…" I swear, life is always coming back to haunt me; whether or not I sleep to get away from it.

A quick glance at my bedside table clock told me it was eleven forty-two at night. "Shit…" There's no way I'm falling asleep again anytime soon. Then again, I went to bed earlier than I normally do. After the whole spectacle with feeling up Mathias, realizing I was enjoying it a little too much and running all the way home with new found knowledge, I bolted upstairs, ignored Tino and the rest and sat in my room as a recluse all night. The ordeal of over thinking things put me to sleep and now look where I am; sheets either messed up or on the floor, spread eagle across the bed like a starfish and panting for air while I have a painfully hard erection that won't go away until I actually do something worth while with or to it.

Now what am I supposed to do? There's no way I'm lowering my self worth any more to masturbating to the thought of that Danish dope. Said Danish dope is apparently my love interest though, so even if I did it wouldn't be that bad, right?

I shook my head in order to shake the thought of my head. "No. I refuse." Its bad enough I let Mathias call me Luke today; I won't lower my dignity any more than that. Rolling onto my side, I stared out the window in an attempt to forget the urges bouncing around in my skull.

This is just as bad as realizing I may actually like the idiot, if not worse. I may have said I might love him, but that's highly doubtful. After all, it's only been a little more than a week. No one falls in love that quickly unless you're in a badly written romance novel. So I guess what I must be feeling is lust. It made a lot more sense than love at least.

But if it were lust, I would have jumped him a while ago, wouldn't I? Or I wouldn't have rejected his various approaches, right? Maybe, maybe not. I'm not even sure. No matter what I do around him, he still tries to be a friend. Despite how many times I've flicked, smacked, slapped, punched or insulted him, he still follows me around like a loyal dog looking for affection.

Is that what he's doing; looking for affection? When we first met, it seemed to be he was only flirting with me for a one night stand. But as we progressed, he's gotten the sense to actually not try so damn hard and put his efforts down to the point where we're just friends, according to him. I'll give him brownie points for that but it doesn't excuse the fact that he teases or annoys me to the point of my retaliation. He also went from hitting on me to declaring we were "just friends" a little too quickly. Was it just for acceptance or is it some devious plot he actually got the brains to plot out?

Another thing: I'm insulting him even though I have a considerable "boner" because of a dream that had to do with him. I keep refusing to admit to myself any feelings for him whatsoever; lust or otherwise. So is this exactly like what Tino said? Am I just denying to myself feelings for him by continuously torturing or insulting him in order to mask my deep down affection?

It seemed to be the only thing that makes sense…

That damned star hasn't helped me in the slightest so far. If anything, it's made things worse.

Oh, that damn star… If it weren't for going out with Mathias to see that horrid movie, I wouldn't be worrying about this right now! Was meeting that dunce supposed to be a gift of enlightenment or a curse of eternal confusion? Or am I over thinking things instead of letting the pieces fit together on their own?

"… That's exactly what I'm doing." I finally said to myself.

Mathias' voice echoed in my head for a second, telling me, _"Live a little. Let loose for once and act like a kid for a few minutes…"_

That had to have been the most meaningful thing he's said as far as I can remember. I'm more of an adult in our relationship and it's bound to stay that way, but the Dane was actually right. I need to let loose instead of over thinking things for a few minutes and just let things happen naturally around me. I can't force _everything_ to go my way. This even includes my emotions.

I could feel myself relax slightly in the fetal position I had taken up on my bed, blinking once with a finally clear vision of the room. If I loosen up now, maybe it'll help me clear my mind and think a little less severely.

Every time he compliments me or makes a comment about something I normally do, I blush. When he had gotten a nosebleed today, I took care of him in a more loving way rather than smacked him and told him to clean himself up. When he calls me "ven" or "Luke", I trip over my words a little before quickly telling him to shut up. I insult him no matter what he says; a compliment, a tease, or even a random phrase. No matter what, I find a reason to call him a spaz, a dope, an idiot, a dunce, a pervert, the list can go on!

The puzzle pieces just continued to fall gently into place, each one forming the bigger picture I've been searching for. My eyes continued to stare into nothingness as this happened, unconsciously growing wider little by little.

"_Let loose for once…"_

Every time he talks to me or says something nice, my heart rate goes up. Watching him fumbling with the button on his pants had seemed to satisfy some secret fetish I had buried in the deepest recesses of my mind. Having him hug me let out some distant desire to touch him like I did…

"_Live a little."_

That's what I was doing earlier. Having him hug me and touching him was me following his advice. I subconsciously followed his order from days ago. I let loose a secret kink I've had concealed and finally touched him in a way that would turn a mother of little children into a blushing mess worried she'd have to explain The Stork earlier than expected.

"_Act like a kid for a few minutes."_

That hug… That hug did so much to me in that little moment. I never really got that kind of affection when I was a little kid. I was forced to be mature after my father died and my mother married another. I couldn't deal with depression then. I had a new half-brother to take care of soon after Mother got married again. I had to be the perfect big brother; one Emil would always look up to whenever something bad happens.

Was it some sort of fulfilling desire I had to enact to make my life complete? Like how a teenage mother is still just as party loving as she was when she was sixteen even though she's thirty-five. That's exactly what it was. I reached out with a childish need and accepted it, almost like Emil would hug me back as I hugged him and wished him luck at school everyday.

The pieces finally came together, my pulse pounding on my chest like a bird trying to escape its cage, desperately reaching for escape. Emotions and hormones all rushed through my veins as I said, "I love him."

Finally. Closure. I finally have closure, a peace of mind, new enlightenment; as if God had come down from his palace in the sky and told me the meaning of life with his holy hand on my shoulder.

I glanced at my clock again. Twelve o'one. A new day, a new life, a new knowledge.

"I love him. I really love him…" I kept repeating this to myself, a small smile growing on my usually blank face. "That Danish dope." At this I chuckled and continued to stare at the clock.

"That Danish dope" has turned my life around. He's given me affection, a thing I've been deprived of and blocked out because I was forced to be he mature one in my life. Mathias was the mentally young boy that grew up enough to let me be the kid for once, if only for a few minutes. That bartender has managed to let out a person that has been hidden deep inside for me; a person capable of affection, love, childish innocence and acceptance.

I'll always be the more mature one between the both of us. That'll never change. The only thing that matters is the fact that I can be free and love him when he's with me, not a care in the world so long as I had him to laugh along and love me back.

I already know he cares for me too. Even though the first minute he set his eyes on me it was all lust, I know now he cares because he puts up with all the sneers and incessant jabs I give him. He cut his attempts at making me like him in a sexual manner down to trying desperately to make me like him as a friend. I know there's physical attraction there between the two of us, and that'll most definitely cause tension if we ever get together in the future. But I'm prepared to wait a little while before anything drastic happens. Too soon and this relationship we have can turn into a "friends with benefits" thing.

My smile was now obvious on my face at this point, but it only let out a smidgen of what I was really feeling. Relief, acceptance, hope for the future. "Mathias, you idiot… I love you." I finally said this clearly, loud enough for the sound to reverberate off the walls of my room at least. "You better not take advantage of it though or I'll kill you." I know I really wouldn't do that but it was enough to give me closure and close my eyes.

Maybe if I concentrate really hard, that dream can come back and I can actually enjoy it this time around.

XXXXXXXXXXX

:P Having fun, you guys? I know I sure did. I'm pretty sure none of you guys would have guessed one quote of Mathias' would actually have significance in the future, huh? Lol Plus I must say, writing smut in the first person is kind of awkward. Especially when you write "I" or "my". Then you imagine yourself in the character's place and it's like "OH GOD!" *Insta nosebleed* LOL Also, a lot of yaois I read are in the third person and those that are in first person are always cracky in some way. Though this is also a comedy fic, I wouldn't make smut comedic (at least not yet). So, by making this first person, I hope it's something refreshing and different for you other smut readers out there.

MINT-CHAN! *glomp* Think of this as payment for that awesome chapter for Elskendes Feud and giving me my first nosebleed! You were actually kind of right when you predicted what my chapter would have. :D I just didn't want to give anything away.

So yes! When I originally started writing this story, I wanted Mathias to have a wet dream. But as my plotting got deeper and deeper, the plot bunnies told me to only hint Mathias having one and give the role to Lukas instead. Thus, it led to this chapter. :) This was a chapter I long awaited to write (not only because of a little hint of smut but also because it's Lukas' true realization of his feelings for Mathias), so I made sure I polished it over and over again to make it _PERFECT_. I had to get the emotions just write and flow smoothly with the chapter. Also, you guys have been waiting for smut long enough, so I decided to make it "false smut" and tease you guys a little with the fact that it wasn't real as well as fulfill your cravings. XP You little perverts, as a JROTC cadet who has no shame in being a hardcore yaoi and smut fan, I salute you. *salutes*

If Norway seems a little OOC in this, though, I deeply apologize. There's only so much a writer can do to fix that while staying true to plot, guys. Also, even though I looked this over TONS and TONS of times, there's bound to be a spelling or grammar error in there somewhere, so I apologize for this if it occurs. I'm dying to see how you guys react to this, so I would love it if you guys comment or give me constructive criticism to improve on my smut (after all, I may write it a bunch, but this is my first time posting it for the world to see. False smut or not.) or anything else! For now, I say, ¡HASTA LUEGO, MI GENTES! This is Wurstlover178, signing off!


	9. Love Drunk Thursday

Wurst: AAAAAAHHHHHHH!

Norway: The Hell are you running from?

Wurst: The bull! Freddie's after me! I didn't post in time so now the bull's after me! If I'm not careful, Mint-chan might pull out Russia from thin air and have him beat me with his pipe!

Denmark: HA HA HA! That'd be hilarious!

Norway: Shut up. Do you want to eventually get laid or what?

Denmark: Shit, you're right. She's the crazy fan that's gonna make you cry my name in ecstasy! I'm starting to like this chick already! *high fives*

*Norway smacks Denmark*

*I eat popcorn and giggle* Do the disclaimer, you lovebirds!

Denmark: Oh, yeah right! Whats-her-face doesn't own us or our fellow nations!

Norway: She also doesn't own the song in this FanFiction. That was copyrighted, written, recorded and produced by The Pussy Cat Dolls and Busta Rhymes.

Denmark: Ugh… Can I just fuck you now? I'm boooooored, not to mention tired of waiting!

*Is smacked again*

Denmark: You know you want me!

Norway: You don't do something intimate like that just because you're bored, idiot! Honestly, you've got to be the most obnoxious-

Wurst: YAY! Lover's spat! You readers know what to do at the end of this fic! Mint-chan, this chapter's for you. ;P

XXXXXXXXXXX

Strange and out of sync. Those are the only words that could possibly describe my morning. It's not that it was unpleasant getting up later than I normally do; just that it was disturbing to realize the day after my revelation my life was already starting to change, whether I liked it or not.

The alarm clock bragged to me that it was nearly ten o'clock-three hours later than when I normally start my day. I groaned to myself and dragged myself out of bed. A realization hit me as I stood there in the middle of my room for a second. Doesn't it normally take me around five minutes to even try to get up? I blinked and shook it off. It's probably nothing. And if it is, change is a good thing… right?

This little question repeated over and over in my head while I brushed my teeth, noticing the steam on the mirror. Did I really take a hot shower? What happened to my wake up soak in the Artic water? My tooth brush just sat loosely in my mouth, a bit of foam stuck on my lip while I stared dumbfounded at myself. Was last night really affecting me this much?

My journey downstairs to the kitchen didn't help with my nerves either. As soon as my foot hit the ground step, Emil tackled me to the ground. Chin smacking the ground, I could feel his weight on my back as he simply sat there. I glanced back at him to see him pouting down at me, arms crossed. "You didn't wake up early, Lukie."

I blinked and tried to crawl away. Let me tell you, this boy has the ability to make himself heavier when the time is right. Instead of scrambling away, I accepted my punishment of being sat on and scolded. "I'm sorry Emil. Can I get up now?"

"Hmf…" was his response. I stood up, his arms wrapped around my neck as I trudged to the kitchen. "I don't like when you're not awake early."

"I know, I know. Did you eat already?"

I could feel him shake his head. "No. Uncle Tino and Uncle Berwald aren't up yet. Lukie, did you hear it last night? It sounded like Uncle Tino was in pain. Is he okay?" This made my face instantly flush into a bright red color. Jesus Christ, tell me they didn't do that with Emil sleeping next door to them…

"N-no, I didn't. Maybe Tino had a stomach ache."

"I dunno. Berwald sounded a little happy about it."

"Okay! What do you want for breakfast?" Any more of this and he'll be asking where babies come from tonight! I need to have a little chat with Tino later.

"_Hafragrautu__r!_" His arms loosened around my neck, the sound of his little feet hitting the floor following soon after.*

"Sure. Just sit in the living room and watch LazyTown or something." He suddenly brightened up and scrambled off to the couch.*

"I almost forgot the marathon was on today!" Damn, why is my little brother so innocent? He shouldn't have to have heard what he did last night. It's bad enough they're intimate in front of him and Peter. Now they have to go at it like jack rabbits right next to my brother's room? I sighed and took out the box of Quaker oatmeal from the cabinet.

"They should be ashamed of themselves," I mumbled to myself. "Having sex within earshot of my brother…" Do they have any idea what that could do to a developing mind like his? If they're not careful, he could end up with an STD at fourteen or end up being a teen dad. I'm not ready to be an uncle, damn it! Though I'm pretty sure they wouldn't care. So long as they get there instant gratification, right?

While I poured the oats into the pot filled with water, I couldn't help but start thinking about my own virginity. I already told Mathias I'm a virgin, so there's no going back on that one. But am I really mentally prepared for that kind of relationship? This question buzzed around in my head for a little while like a group of angry hornets.

After dreaming what I did last night, I should be ready. Having sex with a dolt like him couldn't be that hard, could it? He certainly seems like the kind of person who knows what he's doing between the sheets. Or am I jumping to conclusions? Isn't it usually the cocky ones that suck at giving their lover what they want?

Now that's worrisome. I really hope I won't have to assert the masculine role in the relationship. It'd be a total waste to let a body like his bottom.

"Hm…" My hand hovered over the pot aimlessly now, completely empty from the feeling of it.

His body wasn't half bad; I already admitted that much to myself. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he was hot. But I do know better, so I won't. Saying something like that to myself would tip even him off to my feelings for him. He's just…more attractive than anyone else I've seen. Yeah, that's it. The kind of attractive that would be amazing to be fucked by.

The box in my hand crinkled up a little as my grip tightened on it. Dear God, what would that be like? Hopefully he can shut up long enough to make the moment worth my while. What I wouldn't give to have him just take away all this tension of mine for a moment. While I'm a sweaty, quivering mess, he'd probably be just getting worked up. He looks like he has the stamina. Hell, if everyone else in the house was gone and I was in this exact situation, he'd probably have me lean over the kitchen table and take me right there.

Just the thought of that made me blush, cautiously looking over my shoulder at the table that Berwald constructed with his own two hands. It looks like it could hold up that amount of weight and tension, that's for sure. As soon as that confirmation was made-just like that-images of that poor table rocking under us burned themselves in the back of my head. Each time that table would move, he would be thrusting into me, leaving me either crying out his name or moaning to the heavens from the pleasure. My sick, sick mind wouldn't let up until it had the idea of Mathias kissing my shoulders, my neck and slowly working his way up to my ear. In that exact tone of voice from my dream, he went ahead and said "Norge".

"Norge…" I hadn't even noticed I said this out loud until I hear Emil make a little noise of recognition from the living room. What's worse, I didn't even say normally; more like a whimper.

That did it. I was officially trembling like I saw a ghost in front of the stove, now puncturing finger shaped holes into the empty box still in my hand. Was I really getting excited over my now perverted mind in the middle of the kitchen? "No. I'm not."

"You're not what, Lukie?"

My fixed gaze on the kitchen table finally wavered to look at Emil. Mr. Puffin was sitting on top of his head, looking like he was giving me the death glare while his owner just stared at me in confusion. I shook my head and turned my attention back to the pot in front of me. "It's nothing. Your oatmeal should be ready soon."

"Yay! Oh, I forgot to tell you! I'm going over to Kaoru's house today!"* The puffin on his head pulled at his hair a little with his beak at the sudden outburst, Emil ignoring the sign of annoyance and continuing on. "He said his brother is always getting visited by some creepy Russian guy lately and we were planning on spying on them together." He looked around and held a finger to his lips. "Don't tell anyone though. It's top secret."

When will he finally ask me for permission to go somewhere instead of just running off? I swear, that'll be the end of me someday. I couldn't help but chuckle at the secrecy of it all though and nodded. "I wouldn't dream of it."

"Good. Now gimme my oatmeal!" He whined.

"Yeah, yeah." As I said this, I got his normal bowl out and scooped some of his breakfast into it. "So long as you don't sick your puffin on me again."

"Sure. But Mr. Puffin seems to be getting a little angry. I need to give him some fish soon."

"So I'll get the sardine can and-."

"It wasn't canned by Uncle Berwald, was it?"

"Um… No?" Why in the world would that make a difference?

"Kaoru told me that Uncle Berwald's canning methods can be made into a weapon." Ah. That old rumor again. I wonder when those silly rumors will die already. "So I want to avoid it as much as possible!"

"Sure. Now run along and eat. I'll feed Mr. Puffin soon."

"I should do it." He snatched his bowl away from my hand and immediately started shoveling some into his mouth. "Mishter Puffin woodn't rike it."

"Alright. And don't talk with your mouth full. You know where the sardines are?"

Emil nodded and swallowed, putting the bowl back on the counter and rushing off to brag the nearest chair and waddle to the same counter. He climbed onto it and opened the cabinet in front of him to grab the nearest can of sardines, opening it all on his own as he jumped off the chair. "Mr. Puffin!" Said bird flew into the room like nobody's business and went to work wolfing down the can of fish.

"Why is it he only listens to you?" I asked while Emil pushed the chair back into place. He barely shrugged and took his bowl again, eating its contents nearly in the same manner as his pet.

"Maybe 'cause the rest of you don't like him."

"That's not true."

"Tell me one way it's not true."

"…"

"I thought so." If I were his father, I'd have sent him to his room for back talking to me like that. But I'm not, sadly. "Say Lukie, are you in love?"

… Random much, Emil? What could have possibly tipped him off? "Why?"

He looked up from his bowl directly into my eyes, a little bit of oatmeal on his chin as he said, "So you are?"

Jesus Christ, what is wrong with him? He's just coming to conclusions, Lukas. Don't sweat it too much. "No."

"You're lying."

"What makes you think that?"

He put his now empty bowl down next to Mr. Puffin and walked towards me, holding up his arms and opening and closing his hands like when he wanted to be picked up as a toddler. I complied and held him at eye level, continuing our little staring contest. He placed a hand on my cheek and narrowed his violet eyes at me. "I can tell. You're cheeks are all red. Plus you were avoiding my question."

Damn it, he's smart. It's times like these where I wished he was as air headed as Peter or evasive about his statements like Kaoru. I stood there in silence and blinked, unsure of what to say.

"Is it that stranger from the other day?"

"He's not a stranger. He's my friend."

"Your boyfriend."

"…Not yet…" Well, at least he'll accept homosexual relationships around him with this upbringing of his. No homophobia for him.

"So talk to him."

"It's not that simple, Emil."

"You talk to me all the time."

"That's different. You're my brother."

"So think of him as a brother for a minute."

Well that would be a little strange; imagine Mathias as a brother that I-apparently-so badly wanted on a romantic level. That gives me thoughts of incest! How would that make anything better? To get him off my back, I nodded and put him down. "I'll try."

He sent the death glare back up at me, one I'm sure Mr. Puffin has learned from him. "No you won't. You'll just sit and wait for ages and nothing will happen."

"And what exactly do you know about relationships, you mini Dr. Phil?!" Despite my sudden outburst, he just blinked as if nothing happened.

"I don't know about relationships. I just know how you handle them. And in my opinion, you don't very well." This left me dumbfounded for a few seconds, not doing anything to stop him as he ushered Mr. Puffin onto his perch on his head, grabbed the can of sardines and made his way back to the living room. "Don't mess this one up too, Lukie."

I stood there in a daze, staring at the spot Emil was in just now. Could he be right? He's a kid and all, but he's definitely the smartest one I've ever ran into. It wouldn't be surprising if his "Words of Zen" had some truth in them. But it's scary to know he actually understands what's going around him so well. Does he just sit in his room all day and think over the details of the day to come up with a solid conclusion of what happened?

"No. That's ridiculous." He's only eight! What eight year old has that much time on his hands?

"Mr. Puffin! Get off of that! That's Uncle Berwald's!"

"_SQUAK! Squak squ-squa!"_

"Don't use that tone of voice with me!"

"Squaaaaaaa~!"

"Don't peck at it! It might break!"

Oh yeah. He does.

I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. Emil's smart, he's aware of his surroundings and with any luck, he'll be as much of a loner and as gay as everyone else in this house-myself included. Fabulous.

Back to the matter at hand. How do I talk to Mathias about this? No doubt he'll be ecstatic knowing that his attempts weren't in vain after all. He'd probably go back to his pervy ways of flirting just to tick me off and it'll feel like any other day of him being as stupid as ever. No big deal, right? Then why is it the thought of coming out of my little closet makes my insides twist? Nothing too bad could come out of it. Just a little bit of "Ha ha! I told you so, I told you so" and that'll be the end of it. Given, I'd smack him senseless if he did that but that's sure to be his reaction nonetheless.

"God, what am I going to do?"

"Lukas, are you okay?" I jumped and looked up at Tino, who was standing at the doorway in what I believe was Berwald's shirt and his own Moomin slippers. Great… Now I know for a fact Emil wasn't lying about hearing what he did last night. "I didn't smell any coffee brewing so I thought you were still asleep."

Crap, I forgot my morning coffee! That's sure to make anyone notice something's up! I simply shrugged, leaning back on the counter with feigned relaxation. "I didn't feel like having any." I slept well enough last night so it's kind of true. You can't go and blame me for lying now.

This, however, made him raise an eyebrow at me and come closer. "Are you sick?"

"What? No! What would make you say that?" Did I really dare to ask that?

"You're not drinking coffee, from what I can tell you woke up late, that poor box looks like it went through a trash compactor," Oops. I nearly forgot about that. "And Berwald just told me the mirror in the bathroom is all fogged up. That means you took a hot shower this morning. Something's obviously wrong with you."

Damn it, why is it my change in morning routine is so obvious? "That's preposterous. I just felt like mixing things up for once." Yeah. If that wasn't a lie, I don't know what is anymore.

Tino narrowed his eyes at me much like Emil did moments ago, hands on his hips. "You can't fool me, but fine. I'll get someone who'll tell me the truth." He turned around and headed for the living room slowly, calling out "Oh Emil!"

Immediately, the bed headed brother of mine that was causing me not only head but chin pains today ran over to meet Tino, staring up at him expectantly. "Yes, Uncle Tino?"

"What's wrong with your brother?"

"Nothing! Absolutely nothing! Right Emil?" I shouted. They both looked at me with the same empty stare before looking back at each other. Shit, why does no one listen to me anymore?!

"Lukie's in love."

"Oh!" The faintest traces of a sneering grin grew on his face. "You don't say."

"But I do say! It's with that weird blond stranger that was on the grass a few days ago."

"Really? His name's Mathias, Emil," Tino tousled Emil's hair-much to his distaste-and grinned. "And you should be calling him Uncle Mathias pretty soon." What the fuck?! That's hitting a little below the belt! How dare he use my brother to get information about my personal life!

"Another uncle? Wow. I wonder when I'll get an aunt." With that, he left, leaving both Tino and I a little shocked. I guess he's not really used to all these gay relationships after all.

"Well then, Lukas." Tino turned back towards me, his grin genuinely freaking me out now. "You love Mathias now?"

The blush that took its place on my cheeks was as clear as day. The only reason I came to that deduction was because of the face that Tino had as soon as it happened; that face of "I told you so" I feared so much mixed with pure bubblegum happiness. "M-maybe…"

"Aw! Lukas!" Before I knew it, I was being pulled into a hug by my one and only cousin against my will. "I just knew you'd love him eventually!"

"Ack! Don't go doing somersaults of joy yet. I haven't told him yet."

"You have his phone number don't you?"

"That's so cheesy! I'm not confessing over the phone!"

"You can always do it in person."

"That's ten times worse!" I'm so officially and royally screwed. I'm stuck in a ditch I dug all by myself and I can't dig myself out of it. I have no doubt in my mind that Tino has some master plan up his sleeve to make sure Mathias and I actually get together sometime soon. "Isn't there anyway of confessing that doesn't get me utterly embarrassed in the end?"

"Hm…" He stroked his chin in thought, finally saying, "Unless you plan on being drunk anytime soon, I doubt it."

"Wait. Drunk! That's it!" I must be catching Mathias' stupid with this ridiculous idea, but it's worth a shot. I shook Tino by his shoulders, possessing the faintest ghost of a grin. "I can get drunk and say it with no regrets or inhibitions!"

"I dunno Luke. That's a bit dangerous. Last time you drank anything, you didn't handle it very well."

"That was senior year and you know it. I know not to do body shots anymore." I pursed my lips into a straight line, trying to hold back memories from high school that started to rush back to me. Tino had given me some his favorite beer just as an experiment and two beer bottles later, I was doing body shots with one of Tino's friends that happened to be there at the time. I had the time of my life at the moment, but thirty minutes later I had passed out and woke up in the bathtub the next morning with the worst hang over in my entire life. Since then, I've drank coffee for the caffeine rather than alcohol for the buzz.

"Body shots or not, I'm a little wary about letting you go out drinking with Matt. He can handle his alcohol. You, on the other hand…"

I rolled my eyes and waved it off. Mathias wouldn't be dumb enough to take advantage of me while I was drunk. At least I hope he does. "I'll be fine. I'll just go ahead and call Mathias and arrange to meet him up later."

"He's working tonight, you know?"

"Even better." As I took my cell phone out of my pocket and dialed his number, I was silently praying to God that I wouldn't do anything outrageous tonight.

XXXXXXXXXXX

"Fuuuuuuck! Luke, open up already! It's freezing out here!" Okay, maybe that was a bit of an exaggeration. But I've been sitting out here for half an hour now! You try sitting on the steps of someone's house in twenty degree weather! It sucks, let me tell you! I bet he's getting his "doll face" ready so he can actually come outside and see me. Though, if you asked me, I'd say he looked great just on his own.

I don't even know what exactly brought here. All I know is that he had completely spammed my phone with calls I missed since I was a little…uh… "busy" sorting out a few of my problems and he sounded very stressed when he asked to hang with me during my shift tonight when I finally picked up. Knowing me, you could already guess what I said:

"Sure!" Note that I said this a little breathlessly. I said I was busy, didn't I? "But why?"

"Don't ask questions. Besides, is it bad for friends to see each other?"

At the time, that had bummed me out a little, but at least he wasn't denying a relationship between us. I had agreed, hung up and went back to what I was doing.

You'd think just waiting for him to openly say "Mathias, I love you" would be punishment enough. But noooo. Now I have to wait for him to open a door. This should be a very legitimate excuse for showing up late to work. Not that my boss won't be preoccupied with Feliciano in his office, but better safe than sorry.

Since I'm alone, I should make this time last. Maybe I should empty my mind of bad pick up lines I know Lukas will hate. "Hmpf. That's exactly what I'll do." I don't want to slip up and say something that'll aggravate him, right?

Too my surprise, it was relatively easy to come up with a few. "Hey Luke, I just bought an Aspelund from Ikea and it has your name written _all_ over it. You should come to my place and we can test its durability."* Oh, I'm good! I shouldn't scrap that one yet! That could totally come handy!

With a grin, I kept up my little game, smoothing back my hair in a flirty fashion as I said, "I got a case of Akvavit at home. How about you pour some of it on me and lick it off?" Damn, I'm getting hard just thinking about that. Shirtless, soaked in delicious Akvavit, watching a just as yummy Lukas licking me up and down, all red faced and flustered… "Mmm, yeah. Use that tongue."

"Isn't it a little early for body snaps?"*

"Maybe. But we'll enj- Oh shit! Luke!" Immediately, I jumped and stood up, staring down at him in astonishment. Where the Hell did he come from?! He couldn't have just opened the door otherwise he wouldn't be responding to me. Then how long was he standing there? "Hej!" Great… Yet another boner situation with him. What's worse, he's wearing that sailor suit again. Can't God quit throwing bones and eye candy at me for one day?

"Hei." Wait a minute. Is he blushing? Before I could get a better look at him, he looked down at his feet to avoid eye contact. "Are you done talking to yourself or what?"

"Ja. Are you done making yourself pretty?"

"I wasn't making myself pretty, you rævhøl. I was trying to shake Emil off of me so I could leave." Oh. That'll explain a lot.

"He sounds rather stubborn." We were already heading down the walkway when I said this, perfectly in step with each other the whole way down. I'll take whatever distraction I can get at this point. He doesn't look like he's noticed my tent pitching, so I'm off the hook there.

"Like you wouldn't even know."

"At least you're free now. Plus, we have no interruptions today!"

"Swell…"

"Aw come on, lighten up!" I patted his back as we approached my car. "Now you get to hang with one of your best friends and have fun doing it!" While I opened the passenger door for him like a proper gentleman, he crossed his arms and mumbled something along the lines of "I'm not so sure" as he sat down.

Is it just me or is he more of a depressant than usual?

XXXXXXXXXXX

Can someone get me the instruction manual for a drunk Lukas? No? Shit. That means I'm stuck.

Confused? Let me break it down.

As soon as we got here and I put on my apron, he had asked me for a drink. At first, I hesitated because he told me the first we met that he was underaged. Then he started talking about how he had a lot on his mind and had to wash it out with a drink. I protested again, but after a lot of protesting, some smacking here and there and a good insult on his part, I gave up and gave him what he wanted. Unfortunately for me, he's not just a one and done person. He completely ignored the signs of a good buzz any alcohol drinker knew well and kept on drinking.

At the moment, Lukas was leaning on me for support, hiccupping and burping occasionally. I wish someone had told me he couldn't handle his booze before I gave him whiskey! "What's with all the men here? -Hic!- There's like…two girls here."

"This_ is_ a gay bar, for the most part."

"Ooooooh! So it's a hot spot for people like you and me? That makes perfect sense!"

"Uh, sure." Just looking at Luke right now was starting to become a bit of a downer. I seriously wish I could be wasted with him, but somebody has to be sober enough to make sure none of us do something stupid.

He slammed his empty glass on the counter on front of us and yelled out, "Waiter! Refill!"

"Nuh uh. You've had enough."

"But Mathias!" He whined. "Why won't you give me more?"

"You've had enough. As a bartender, I know for a fact you've had plenty to drink." You don't work behind the counter for eight months and completely ignore the obvious signs of when a person is about to pass out of puke; after all, you'd be the one cleaning up the mess if you do ignore it.

"Untrue!" He hiccupped again and poked at my face, sticking his tongue at me. "I feel as normal as ever! That means I haven't had enough."

"You certainly aren't normal." To be honest, his hiccup sounded sort of cute; all high pitched and contained like he was embarrassed of it. But I'm not sure if his drunkenness could receive the same statement. I know I'm wild when I'm buzzed, but Lukas being drunk seems completely unnatural. "You're done. Besides, you basically drained the drinking limit on my employee discount."

"But it's all for a good cause right? For the poor, unfortunate Lukie in front of you."

"Yeah…" I crosses my arms and eyed him suspiciously. What was up that he just had to drink tonight anyway? "Unfortunate."

"-Hic- Hey! You try raising a little boy like Emil half your life."

"I could do that. Kids love me." At least I think they do. For some reason, when Tino suggested I work at Chuck E. Cheese's for the free food, the little kids stayed away from me. They said something about me being an imposter and that the smell I had burned their noses. Maybe that's because I was a bit of a party animal at the time.

"Alright fine. How about having to stay up at night listening to your cousin get screwed by a big Swedish guy like Berwald because they're too loud for you to sleep?" Okay, note to self, keep any and all alcoholic beverages from Lukas. I _seriously_ didn't have to know what goes on in their love life.

"I've done that. Only they were my parents… So that's ten times worse."

"Fine! How about waking up with a hard on in the middle of the night dreaming about a sexy lug like you?"

"I've done that- Wait, what?" Did he just say I was sexy? No, no. I must be hearing things. Probably from the British and American couple at the end of the bar.

"Ha! See? Something you haven't done! Seriously-hic-though. You really got me riled up last night. Left me staring at the ceiling thinking for a while."

I'd be lying right now if I said wasn't curious. "Thinking about what?"

"About how I actually love you." He poked my cheek and lied down across my lap, continuing to poke at various areas of my face. ""Despite all your stupidity."

My eyes widened while he did this. "Love?" Am I hearing what I think I'm hearing?! I seriously hope he's not just drunk talking right now. If he was, that would completely crush my dreams. Don't get me wrong, I want him to admit his feelings to me and all, but in a natural way. Having him confess as a drunk would be completely messed up. Whether or not his confession means anything, I'll ask him tomorrow. That is, if he's even sober enough to respond.

"Yeah, it's real deep Matt." Matt? I have a nickname now? "But hey! I don't want to ruin the fun." His expression brightened suddenly and he smirked at me.

"Is that a good or a bad smirk?"

"I dunno." He sat up and stared me in the eyes, smiling a little dopey smile the whole time. "Wanna do something fun?"

"Fun?"

"Yeah. We can have some fun together! You don't really seem to be enjoying yourself right now anyway." That much is true. It's kind of depressing knowing I can't drink during my shift. But I suppose if Lukas is involved, I'll brighten up a little. Hopefully we don't do something too crazy.

"Alright. What do you have in mind?"

XXXXXXXXXXX

_Thump Thump Thump!_ That's what woke me up this morning. A splitting headache was very eminent at the time, so hearing the door being abused was really a pain in the ass to deal with. Much to my surprise, when I sat up and glared at the front door, I was sprawled across the couch in the exact same clothes I was in last night.

"Thank God I survived…" I wasn't feeling any pain or any regrets so I guess my night went well enough. Now all I have to do is answer the damn door and get some Tylenol before this headache becomes a migraine.

"Luke! Open up! I got it!" That voice can only belong to one person. I sighed and stood up, stumbling on my way to the door more than a few times. My hand grasping the doorknob, I wrenched it open and leaned on the door, rubbing my eyes.

"Damn it Mathias. I'm not exactly feeling well and here you come making a racket."

"Oh… You actually answered. I'm sorry." He rubbed the back of his head, further messing up his hair with the action. In his other hand was my hat with a video tape in it. "I came to give you your hat back. You left on me after Berwald dragged you off." He doesn't seem very well either if I compare him now to his usual self. Maybe he drank a little with me and is a little hung over too.

"What are you talking about?" Does he really think I'm going to remember _anything_ with the amount of whiskey I drank?

He just shook his head and basically invited himself in. "The tape will explain everything."

"That's fine." I slammed the door unconsciously and ultimately paid for it with the pulsating in my forehead. "Just come inside without permission. I do that all the time."

Glancing back at me from his spot in front of the TV, he grinned nervously, soon averting his eyes to look at the floor. "I just barged into your house again, didn't I? My bad. But at least I didn't break the door down!"

"Keep it down, would you? I may not remember much, but I do remember Tino and Berwald rushing upstairs after they left me here. What tape are you talking about anyway?"

"This tape, silly!" Like he was brandishing an Olympic gold medal, he held up a tape with a blank label. "This tape is the answer to all your questions about last night."

"I haven't asked anything yet."

"See, this is where I outsmarted you for once! You would have asked if I hadn't said that."

When did he get this kind of common sense? Maybe the whiskey from last night burned a good amount of his brain cells for the better. I rolled my eyes and plopped myself back onto the couch while Mathias fiddled with the buttons on the machine in front of him. "Sure… My VHS isn't too advanced for your Neanderthal mind, is it?" It's not like I actually meant that insult. I'm just trying to keep up an image; Lukas Bondevik, the one who criticizes Mathias even though he has a very considerable crush on him.

"Hey! That was cruel! I'm twenty times smarter than a Neanderthal!"

"So you have the knowledge of a walnut?" I raised an eyebrow and smirked at him, his expression dropping and looking at me through half lidded eyes in disbelief.

"Ha ha. I forgot how to laugh." After a few more minutes of messing around with what I hope isn't too outdated technology, he brightened up and stood in front of the television, hands on his hips. "AHA! Technological victory for Køhler!"

"I'll get you your medal later. Now shut up and move. This better be good."

"It will be! I can guarantee you that." He quickly turned on his heel and threw himself onto the couch so that he sat next to me. Just when I thought I was in the clear, he reached over me for the remote, at which I flinched. He gave me a wary look once I did, backing away slowly with a slightly concerned look. "You alright?"

Eventually I swallowed my pride and nodded. "Yeah. Just…my nerves."

"You sure?"

No. I'm not sure. This is probably the most unsure of myself I've ever felt. There's no way I'd tell him that though. "Of course."

"'Kay then."

For a few seconds, the screen was blank before snow appeared. Mathias cursed when it showed up, something about "fucking quality probably sucks."

A roar of appreciation from the other bar patrons could be heard in the background of the video, but my eyes were locked on the center of the stage. There stood Mathias and I-or rather I leaned on a standing Mathias-microphones in hand and music blaring from unseen speakers. By the sound of things, we must have been up there for a little while; otherwise they wouldn't sound so happy about us on stage.

What caught me off guard was that Mathias was in the middle of singing, his gaze stuck on me-wasted and stumbling-the whole time. Granted, it sounded more like unnecessary yelling into a sound sensitive device with crescendos and very subtle decrescendos, but I suppose it was his definition of singing.

_And I know you want it! It's easy to see!_ Dear God, don't tell me.

My heart stopped when I broke in, voice slurred and barely comprehensible. _And in the back of your mind I know you should be __**on**__ with me! _The little innuendo I just put in there made me shiver and pray to God no one caught that. I _definitely_ wasn't in my right mind last night.

_Don't cha wish your girlfriend was hot like me?_ We both sang. I finally stood on my own when Mathias let go of me, wavering a little in my stance. From next to me on the couch, the very same blond unbuttoning his shirt and doing a mini dance on the television was tapping his foot on the floor with the beat, grinning.

"Pretty catchy, eh?"

"No! This is a disaster!"

_Don't cha wish your girlfriend was a freak like me? _

At this point in the video, Mathias ripped off his uniform shirt and tossed it aside with a flirty sway of his hips, the bright shade of red flying into the distance and giving me a perfect view of his chest and stomach. The entire bar's shouts of encouragement grew as he performed his little act, the noise resulting in the Mathias next to me to lower the volume. Meanwhile, I stiffened in my seat, eyes instinctively eyeing him. The fact that whoever was recording this zoomed in on him really didn't help me at all.

"Were you drunk too?"

"I was perfectly clean." Apparently my restraint was even worse last night, judging from the way I gravitated towards him and ran my hands down his abs. "You on the other hand…"

"Shut up. I know that."

On screen, my companion waltzed his way behind me, placing his hands on my hips and making me sway along with him. _Don't cha wish your girlfriend was raw like me? _The amount of wolf whistles this received was extremely unnerving. Quite honestly, I didn't blame them either. That action alone didn't seem very shocking coming from him, but my response certainly was; smiling while looking over my shoulder and grinding against him. _Don't cha wish your girlfriend was fun like me?_

I blushed harshly at this. If there was such a thing as a delete button for the world, I'd go back to this minute and press it in a heartbeat. Girlfriend? No. Boyfriend. Hopefully. If that's the case, everything this song just said was completely checked off. Though my current Mathias didn't seem too disturbed by this, he adjusted himself a little in his seat and made himself perfectly comfortable.

I'm not sure if they had just arrived or were getting sick of watching us, but from the corner of the screen, Berwald could be seen climbing onto stage and approaching us. Tino followed, looking like he was worried for our health since we were up there to begin with. Mid song, Berwald grabbed me rather casually and dragged my tired, nonresistant body across the screen and off stage. Mathias, on the other hand, was shocked at the sudden intrusion, dropping his microphone next to where mine fell and rushed out of view. Of course, after a minute, he realized he left his shirt on stage and ran back in sight to grab and scurry away.

The video returned to snow, which was good since that was exactly how my brain felt; jumbled, all over the place and fuzzy.

The source of all my internal problems just chuckled and turned off the TV, saying. "You have a nice voice. Girly. But nice."

Whether or not that was an insult or a compliment didn't matter to me right now. I'm more concerned about- "What the fuck were we thinking?!"

"You told me you wanted to have some fun with me and that lead to this." Jesus Christ, I must have been out of my mind when I thought this was okay! No, even worse, I was in Mathias' presence and drunk. That has got to be the worst combination in the history of history.

I groaned in disbelief at myself and put my head in my hands, hiding myself from the world. "What other ridiculous things did I say?" Much to my horror, he proceeded to count of my deeds on his fingers.

"Let's see. You insulted my manager, yelled at some American guy for being to loud-by yelling even louder than him, I might add-asked why there were so many men around when we were in a gay bar, harassed me for more drinks after I said no, puked on the sidewalk when Berwald was dragging you out-"

"Stop. Just, stop."

"Just a few more things! You poked at my face a few times with the gusto of a little kid pulling a dog's tail, made yourself rather comfortable on my lap-"

I blushed with the last comment, pushing him by his shoulder in my feeble attempt to make him be quiet for once. "Okay! You're done! I don't want to hear anymore!"

"And you said you loved me."

… I actually said it, huh? Mathias looked up at me from his position under my hands holding him down expectantly and I merely blinked back. I suppose the cat's out of the bag now. He knows I love him, but the way he's looking at me right now is like he's confused about it. Was I not clear enough when I said it?

I opened my mouth to speak but he beat me to it. "Do you, Lukas?"

There's the million dollar question.

XXXXXXXXXXX

* "_Hafragrautu__r!_"- As the story continues from this point, it's obvious it's an Icelandic term for oatmeal. But just in case you guys didn't catch that, it's here anyway. :P

* "Sure. Just sit in the living room and watch LazyTown or something."- To my surprise, this show actually got a pretty good standing in the US, so it was on kid's channels like Nick Jr. and stuff like that for a while until it was cancelled in 2009. This show, however, originated in Iceland with a mostly Icelandic cast, so it was only natural to make this little Emil's favorite show.

* "Yay! Oh, I forgot to tell you! I'm going over to Kaoru's house today!"- Kaoru = a common fanon name for Hong Kong. I just spammed you with little kiddie Iceland x Hong Kong!

* "Hey Luke, I just bought an Aspelund from Ikea and it has your name written _all_ over it. Maybe you should come to my place and we can test its durability."- LOL Ikea reference! The Aspelund series contains a bunch of dressers, chairs, a grill (I believe), and a bed frame. Just try to guess what Denny meant. :P

*"Isn't it a little early for body snaps?"- "Body snaps" translates into "body shots". Throughout Sweden, Denmark and Norway, Akvavit is used for a ritual called snaps or drinking snaps. This is another term for shots but Scandinavians have been doing it as a game as early as the 15th century for holidays like Midsummer, Christmas and Easter. (*wavy arms* Now you know.) If there's any cultural error in my explanation whatsoever, I apologize in advance.

GASP! Ha ha! Lukas + Alcohol = Karaoke. Defying the laws of nature rocks, don't it?

FINALLY! IT'S DONE! MINT-CHAN, CALL OFF FREDDIE! IT'S DONE! :'D

Let me start with saying my pervy mind made this chapter very fun to write. /shot/ Consider this chapter "The Return of Wurstlover178". I love you guys like you wouldn't even imagine! Despite my absence, you guys kept a steady support for this story along with Cat's Cradle. For this, I give all of you digital hugs and cookies with the Nordic flags on them! *Throws cookies into the air like confetti and starts hugging random readers* For some reason, I think I broke the fourth wall somewhere along the line. XD I must also say that I came close to finishing yesterday, got cocky and celebrated a little too early and that's why I'm posting now (You can't stop Wurst's determination to post something once I set my mind to it!). Plus, I feel like this chapter could have been written a little better. :/

(Mint-chan, you're probably wondering how the Hell your fic and the Spice Girls lead to this. Well… I was looking for a song by Shakira (I'm part Latino. I get these urges a lot. I mean, come on. We all need that spicy, fun Español sound, right?) while I was reading your update, but accidentally clicked on "Wannabe" by the Spice Girls. I remembered doing a karaoke for that a while ago with my friends and started thinking, "Oh, shit! Drunk karaoke!" And so I searched for the perfect song and that lead me to Don't Cha by the Pussy Cat Dolls feat. Busta Rhymes.)

I guess this is where I say "Sayonara"! I apologize for any grammatical or spelling errors! From my computer to yours, this is Wurstlover178, signing off! ¡HASTA LUEGO, MI GENTES!

P.S.,

This is my _**longest. Chapter.**_** Yet.** 8,119 words! I'm a very happy squirrel right now!

"_**Don't Cha" is copyrighted by The Pussycat Dolls, Busta Rhymes and A&M Records. I do not take any ownership for the song or its lyrics. This is strictly for non-profit purposes.**_


	10. Painfully Silent Day

ERMEHGERD! Mis amigos! I am back with loads more motivation! I had gotten my laptop taken away for bad grades and such (*glares at "Motivational" report card from last marking period*) but hey, I'm back now! Before I go on with this long awaited for continuation of this story, I just have to say that I am so happy this story became so popular with you guys. Hell, it's my most popular story to date (with _Cat's Cradle _ranking as a close second). Plus, I'd like to thank the awesome and generous person who added my story to its first community, Nordic Cross Unlimited. This chappie goes out to all my loyal fans that have waited faaaaaar too long to see this story continue. Mint-chan, I'm sure you've been waiting far too long as well, so enjoy! This may or may not have yaoi goodness yet, but ENJOY NONETHELESS, MY FELLOW YAOI CRAVING VULTURES!

XXXXXXXXXXX

I honestly had no idea whatsoever how to respond to Mathias' question. Sure, he's the general definition of a Class-A idiot, but this is a question that can't go unanswered! If I leave right now…

Wait…

If I kick _Mathias_ out of the house right now, that'll only raise questions in the future. If there's one thing I want to avoid it's this wing nut asking me questions about our "sexual tensions" 24/7.

He looked about to ask the question again from that impatient glint in his eyes, so I quickly said, "Was it a romantic 'I love you' or was it a drunken 'I love you' you say to friends for no apparent reason?"

It really was a shock to see that brightness in Mathias' eyes turn into a crestfallen look of despair and confusion, but the rest of his facial features didn't portray any of the emotions his eyes were letting on. "I uh… I have no idea. That's why I'm asking."

Something inside me wanted to punch this dolt in the throat but another was telling me that it wasn't uncalled for. For once in my life, my plan wasn't thought out very well. Getting drunk wasn't necessarily a totally fool proof idea; the video Mathias had brought here was proof of that. Was this what Tino was trying to warn me about?

"Luke?"

I winced at the nickname despite it not being as bad as "Norge" was. I guess it was because I wasn't expecting that little pet name to be how he got my attention.

"What?"

Mathias' eyes narrowed, the normal jubilation in them hardening to that of pure suspicion. "You're avoiding me and I don't know why. This totally isn't cool. Answer me already."

"I can't really remember since I don't handle liquor well. You're going to have to resort to your own memories for this one." I spat out. I wasn't really planning on responding. It just sort of slipped out. By the look he gave me after I said this though, my mistake worked out for my favor.

"I guess… It was a drunken one."

"Then that answers your question right?"

Mathias just shrugged, running his hand through his already terrible-yet somehow alluring-hair. "I guess…" He blinked and looked back up at me, putting on a smile made of 100 percent false emotion. "Well, that's cleared up."

I sighed with relief and leaned back on the sofa, arms crossed. "Sure does…"

There was a heavy silence floating in the air between us, a silence that wasn't like any other I've ever sat through. This was like sitting in a doctor's waiting room; the walls echo every single noise within a mile's radius because no one talked, tense because they have no idea what unwanted news they could possibly receive while surrounded by absolute strangers. It was really unnerving actually. Normally I wouldn't care and would just deal with whatever silence life threw at me. But this… this was just unnatural.

Eventually, Mathias cleared his throat, which ushered an unconscious response on my part. "I think you should go, Mathias."

He glanced at me with a slightly surprised look but regained his awkward composure. "Yeah, I should."

"Take the video and burn it while you're at it."

Mathias stood and nodded once. "Sure." His sentences seemed so choppy, short and awkward now. Before, it was hard to get him to shut up or at least lower his voice. But now he seemed almost like Berwald where he tried to say as much as he can with as few words as possible to avoid the situation.

He over to the television and hit the EJECT button, sitting cross-legged on the floor as the tape slowly poked out of hiding. As soon as it did though he snatched it into his hands and stood, nearly knocking the VCR to the floor in the process. I wanted to scold him for being careless but couldn't find it in me to do it; he just looked so heartbroken.

His eyes looked in my direction but not at me, more like at the upholstery of the sofa next to my head. "Guess I'll see you around, huh?"

I shrugged. "Maybe."

His shoulders slumped as he stood there, numbed by my statement. "'Kay…" Finally, he dragged his feet towards the front door, the only sound symbolizing his absence the gentle click of the door shutting. Again, I was met with the doctor's office silence I dreaded now. Did I just make the biggest mistake of my life by letting him walk out like that?

XXXXXXXXXXX

As soon as I shut the door, I let out the breath I was holding for far longer than I would have ever expected. Luke-no, Lukas-officially told me he didn't love me and that last night's proclamation was pretty much a hazy lie. He told me flat that we have no romantic relationship at all and to burn the evidence of what _was_ a fun night.

Well, it was nice having that thought haunting my life for a little while. At least we're still friends, right? Now I need to figure out what else to do with myself… Try harder or get drunk off my ass?

I looked to the left in the direction of my house; I can sulk there and eat ice cream while watching Les Miserables. Maybe I can down a few beers, jack off to some internet porno and go to bed in my boxers. Maybe I'll wake up tomorrow morning and go on with my life like this fiasco never happened. Y'know, just continue hitting on Lukas to no end until he loves me or kills me while I try.

I looked to the right in the direction of the bar; I can drown my sorrows in cheap booze, score some cash from the pool table, meet up with Gilbert or Alfred and harass the guys they both had a bit of a one night stand with then go home and pass out for maybe two days.

….

I walked down the little nicely made walkway Berwald must have spent days slaving over and turned right once hitting the sidewalk. On the way down the block, a cat with long flowing hair tied over to the side was picking at the garbage cans with a skinny looking kitten looking lazily but expectantly up at it. As I walked by, I tossed the tape in the can with the long haired cat and kept going.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Call me weird, but after questioning myself about the morality of my let down, I got up and watched Mathias stand on the edge of the porch for a few minutes, just staring off into space with his now empty blue eyes. It actually pained me a little to see him look left, right, then down at the tape in his hands before he stepped off, slouched over in his depressive state and marched on while taking a right turn.

He was obviously more than upset; probably because I let down every chance of him actually being able to rub his victory in my face. If that's the case, then he can mope all he wants. I'm sure he'll bounce back to life anyway. With that, I set my normal firm look on my face and drew the curtains back to let in some light.

The din of the house roared to life as the morning droned on. I had sat in my chair at the dining room table and read my Norse fairy tales like always, sipping my coffee while Emil watched Lazy Town again with his more than compliant puffin. Tino paid no mind to my silence and acted as if I was totally normal. I have to say, I was doing better than Bella Swan could ever dream to be at hiding her true emotions from the world. I was a born natural.

It wasn't until I looked for something for lunch that I came across trouble. Just as I entered the kitchen, Berwald came inside from his backyard workshop. He stopped when the backdoor behind him closed and continued to stare at me. At first, there was nothing wrong with this at all, just another routine stare down. But as I stepped towards the refrigerator, Berwald spoke up. "Wha's wrong?"

I looked up at him, honestly dumbfounded by his question. But being the emotionless person I am, I looked back into the fridge and said, "What do you mean?"

Berwald didn't seem to pleased by this if the grunt he made meant anything. "Don' lie."

"Who's lying?"

"Yoo."

With a roll of my eyes, I looked up and closed the door, giving Berwald the same glare he was giving me. "I'm not lying, Berwald. What do you mean by 'What's wrong'?" While I was asking this, he was looking around for a clean rag to wipe his oily hands with. After finding one, he glanced over his shoulder at me with an all knowing look.

"Ah mean there is somethin' wrong with yoo. Yer eyes tell th' story." He put the rag on the counter, his muscles tensing even with that little action. I was never able to get over how his muscles seemed to ripple like that. Tino seems to really enjoy it. I, on the other hand, am not a huge fan of it. He may have been big back then, but he was never this ripped in high school.

"My eyes tell no story." I continued my search for food in the cabinets, only finding the many boxes of Quaker oats Emil eats all the time. "Besides, I'm not an open book Berwald. Quit reading me like one."

"Hm" was his answer for everything. Sure, he did much except for grunt occasionally, but those Neanderthalish grunts and hums can really tug at the nerves. I had been hearing that "Hm" of his since grade school and it never bothered me before. But now… Now his little "Hm" made me literally fly off the handle and slam the cabinets shut. I wheeled around to face him, certain my anger was showing on my face by now.

"Look, Berwald. Even if I did have any problems right now, I wouldn't go to you for free psychological analyzing. I don't need a psychiatrist for my problems! My problems consist of being basically a mother to my own little brother, living with my cousin and his big, burly boyfriend I've known for years-a.k.a you- and having no love life whatsoever." Berwald blinked, unfazed by my rant so far. "But if you think for once second that I'm worried to death about Mathias going off and doing something stupid in his depressive state, _think again, you cave man vocabulary using dingbat_!"

Maybe insulting his accent was a little harsh, but I was angry and I can say a lot of things when I'm that steamed. Berwald stared down at me, his eyes showing no hurt at all, his face looking completely blank. He then opened his mouth, a little smirk growing and said, "Ah never mentioned Mathias in mah questions."

My heart literally dropped to my feet when he said that. I just poured out my issues to him without meaning to. He basically Bugs Bunny'd me into say it too! I really don't think things through, now do I?

I said nothing to him and as a result he too said nothing. I could feel Emil's little eyes looking into the room Berwald and I occupied with his childlike nosiness and Tino's worried stare on my face. I never knew silence could ever be louder than words, but now the sense of having no sound at all was piercing my eardrums with a terrible vengeance. Berwald just continued to stare, as did Emil and Tino. I looked around to verify my feeling and, sure enough, I was right. Tino's eyes were wide with both worry and curiosity and Emil looked at me with a classic "Lukie's in trouble" face.

I shook my head in my search for an answer but couldn't find one. Berwald was waiting for my comeback, probably anticipating it. But I've come up dry.

The fat lady has sung.

Or at least I wish she did to break this deafening quietness. On instincts and instincts alone, I hightailed it to the front door and stormed out, completely forgetting that it was almost the middle of December and _most likely_ cold outside. But I didn't really care at the moment.

I just had to get out of that quiet house.

XXXXXXXXXXX

The lake in the park had successfully frozen over. People were already taking risks and waltzing right over the ice like it was a foot thick. I, on the other hand, wasn't enjoying this natural occurrence of nature. I was the one sitting on the park bench in jeans and a skin tight T-shirt freezing my ass off.

Neither Berwald or Tino have rolled around to bring me back home, so the must have assumed I needed to blow off steam by myself. If they did, they assumed correctly. But by "blowing off steam", I don't think it means sitting in ten to twenty degree weather in casual spring or autumn attire. I had been sitting here for nearly an hour from the last time I heard the local church bells but it had felt so much longer than that. The time seemed to drone on while I worried about Mathias more than myself, strangely making myself more and more numb with the passing minutes. My brain had shut down all other sources of food for thought just thinking about it.

The metal bench was starting to make my butt really cold but I didn't move an inch. The time for self pity wasn't now. It was time to worry about how the Hell I was going to fix things now.

"Dear God, chap. You don't look too good." My head snapped up at the voice I assumed to be aimed at me. The thick British accent of the voice didn't really throw me off, but the dapper suit he had on the thick blazer and plaid scarf he had on certainly did. In spite of myself, I was jealous of his warm clothes. I felt like such a hobo. "You look ready to turn blue."

I shrugged and looked down at my feet, hugging myself for warmth. "Well, I didn't really have the time to put my parka on."

The man shook his head, his sandy blond locks brushing against his unnaturally thick brows at this. "This is unacceptable. A person such as yourself shouldn't have to freeze the arse off in the cold." I was a little shocked to see him shrug off his scarf and blazer at first until he wrapped the scarf tightly around my neck and hung the blazer over my shoulders. At first glance, it may have been just for solidarity. But his eyes told a different story. He was just being gentlemanly to a freezing stranger in a park.

These British guys are nuts.

"Thanks…" I mumbled. I didn't really feel like it but it was the only thing I could do for the moment. He passively held up a hand, silencing me.

"It's no trouble really. You were obviously in bad shape. What else was I to do?"

Again, I shrugged. "You could have passed by and not cared like Americans do."

His emerald green eyes stuck to my own for a minute, clearly disgusted by what I said. "The saying may be, 'When in Rome, do as the Romans do'. But this is America. Do you really expect me to do the idiotic, outlandish things American's do on a daily basis?"

I chuckled despite my better judgment. His accent and vocabulary put together was just a riot to listen to. "True, true."

"So what brings you out to this neck of the woods, eh? You don't seem like you want to be here."

Right on the money. I sighed and shook my head. "You're right. I don't want to be here."

"So why are you here?"

"Why do you ask so many questions, _stranger?_"

The man rolled his eyes and put out a hand, smiling teasingly at me now. "Arthur Kirkland. It's a pleasure to meet you." I stared at his hand for a few seconds before shaking it.

"Don't expect a life story now that I know your name."

"I wasn't really. But maybe if you would join me for a cuppa tea or coffee just around the block, maybe you'll be more compliant?"

My eyes narrowed at him, Arthur's expression unchanged from when he asked me. What sounded suspicious was apparently a true blue friendly offering.

Yep. These British guys are _really_ nuts.

"I won't enjoy this, but I bet you won't stop badgering me if I say no." He smiled warmheartedly at me and stood, reaching out a hand to help me up.

"A nice hot beverage will warm you up nice and quick, chap."

As I took his hand, something dawned on me. I learned to trust Mathias when he was a complete stranger a few weeks ago and now I'm trusting this British Arthur character?

I never really learn from my mistakes, do I?

XXXXXXXXXXX

ERMEHGERD! *head explosion* I don't feel like this chappie is good enough for you guys as far as length goes. So far, Lukas met Mathais, went to the movies with him, had a wet dream, read a brochure about Denmark with some pervy stuff in it, realized he loves Mathias, got drunk and did karaoke and let him down not so easily after realizing his plan was a total failure. Good enough recap, guys? :P Anyway, sorry for epically trolling you with this let down of a chappie. I really think it sucked, especially since I had all that rest from writing. Anywho, comments and constructive criticism are much appreciated! I apologize for any grammatical or spelling errors! From my computer to yours, this is Wurstlover178, signing off! ¡HASTA LUEGO, MI GENTES!

**PART TWO OF THIS CHAPTER WILL BE OUT SOMETIME AFTER CHRISTMAS DAY, IF NOT DIRECTLY ON THE DATE! ALSO, TO CELEBRATE MY APPROACHING 100 COMMENTS, THE USER WHO COMMENTS THAT LUCKY NUMBER 100 WILL RECEIVE A FREE ONE-SHOT OF ANY PAIRING FROM **_**MOI**_** AS A THANK YOU! CONSIDER THIS MY PROBABLY LATE CHRISTMAS GIFT TO ALL MY READERS OUT THERE! **

**MERRY CHRISTMAS, FELIZ NAVIDAD, HAPPY HANUKKAH, HAPPY KWANZAA, HAPPY NEW YEARS AND ALL THAT JAZZ TO MY READERS AROUND THE WORLD! HAVE A GREAT HOLIDAY! (And don't talk to British strangers offering you tea and coffee. XD)**


	11. Pep Talks

I'm back for more, guys! Enjoy!

XXXXXXXXXXX

Is it weird what the symbolism of the bar did for me? It was empty, almost no one in sight. I never really paid any attention to symbolic crap like this, but today I must have been observant for some reason. The beer wasn't that good, but it was just as shitty as my day turned out to be so no worries there. Gilbert sat to my left, still guzzling down the bitter foreign drink in his beer stein while Alfred sat to my right, somehow drunk off his ass already with his head buried in his arm on the counter.

"Dudes, now I know how Iggy feels…" He hiccupped and tried to pick up his head but failed miserably, forehead slamming into the wood of the counter like a lead pipe. Gilbert winced slightly, taking another sip of his beer.

"That must have hurt."

I nodded once. "Yeah. Must have." It really did hurt. And here I wasn't talking about Alfred; he can take a hit. I was talking about myself. Lukas had no intention of taking our relationship further (for what it's worth, we didn't really have a relationship). We may have known each other for only a few weeks, but sitting here without making that little ball of fury pout somehow was really a major downer.

Gilbert raised an eyebrow at me and poked my shoulder. "You alright?"

I shook my head. "Far from it, man."

Alfred somehow managed to hoist his head up and cradle it in his hand, frowning at my sorrow. "Come on-hic!-dude. You're being more of a downer than Iggy."

I rolled my eyes and glared at him. "Would you quit mentioning that one night stand of yours? He obviously doesn't like you that way."

Gilbert scooted away a little at this while Alfred's face fell. "I'm sure he does. He just has trouble expressing it."

I laughed once, hard and mockingly, at him. "Yeah, that's what I thought." I sipped my beer again and turned towards him, slamming my bottle down. "They refuse to talk to you, treat you like dirt, say they love you once and then stomp on your heart. That's how you feel, right? Well welcome to my world, you self-serving prick." A side long glance at Gilbert after I turned around told me that even when half-drunk that comment was a little harsh. But hey, Alfred has no right to complain.

Said American scooted towards me and, with a shaky finger, traced a heart in the condensation of my beer bottle. "Our worlds are pretty similar, huh?"

My eyes hardened at the heart now pretty much in my hands. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"We laugh, we kid around, we play our football or soccer or whatever rough, he love and then we get let down." He giggled and hiccupped again before continuing. "It's the Circle of Life, dude. We can't have good things without the bad."

I blinked at him, looking over his features several times. Something wasn't right with this guy. He seems smarter than usual… "Are you high?" I finally asked.

He chuckled and nodded. "Just a little. But not in the way you think, man!" His arm was slung around my shoulder as he waved a hand in front of us. My now partially hazy vision made it look like he was wiping the world away. "On love. Love is powerful, dude. You got to embrace it, take it by the hand, fuck it a few times and put a ring on it. Otherwise it'll be a single lady forever!"

Beyoncé may be catchy sometimes, but Alfred is just obsessed with that song.

Gilbert laughed next to me while getting a refill of beer. "I know I did." He flashed us the wedding ring on his left hand, boasting telekinetically that he got hitched a few months ago. "Mattie's louder than you'd think when you get him riled up."

Alfred glared. "Don't talk about my bro that way, bro."

"What? It's true. Like you said, embrace it, take it by the hand, fuck it a few times and put a ring on it. That's literally what I did! I proposed in the after glow of long, hard sex!" He snickered his signature snicker and patted my shoulder. "But the point is, dude, be awesome, get over this-"

"And fuck him!" Alfred exclaimed.

"No… Though that would be fun." He gazed off into space for a minute then brought himself back down to Earth with a shake of the head. "My Mattie taught me a lot over the past few years. One: Pancakes are amazing. Two: Maple syrup makes for awesome foreplay. And Three: stay diligent and keep your head up."

I looked between them, one drunk as all Hell and the other talking sense for once now that he has a man to go home to everyday. Honestly, should I really believe them? I shrugged their arms and hands off me and took another sip of my beer. "Thanks guys, but Lukas won't exactly like my advances."

"And why's that?" Alfred asked. He threw his empty bottle over his shoulder, the shattering of glass causing the bartender to curse us out even though we ignored him.

"He's made it clear that we're just friends if anything."

Both Gilbert and Alfred made pained faces like they got hit in the stomach. "Ooo. Harsh, dude." Alfred said.

"Maybe you should just deal with it for a while. I'm sure he'll see you as more in a while."

I shook my head. "Doubtful. He has no interest in me, I'm sure."

"How could you know if you don't try it?"

"Because he's Lukas and I'm Mathias. That's our dynamic apparently."

None of us talked for a little while after that. Alfred passed out somewhere down the line and was snoring loudly on the counter, drooling like a dog. Gilbert was just now getting wasted while I was close to being on my way out. My vision went from hazy to foggy, almost black. I never bothered to check the time so I had no clue what time it was when I walked in or what time it was now. I honestly didn't really care. The longer I spend in here, the better the hangover I'll have to keep my sadness away.

Gilbert said he should take Alfred and himself home and asked if I wanted a ride back to my place. I declined, only getting a frown in return. "You really need to get over this and be your awesome but not as awesome as me self. It's depressing. I have enough to deal with when Alfred's here."

Alfred snorted loudly as if on command. We both stared at him only I shrugged while doing so. "I'll walk home. I'm not that wasted."

Gil sighed and put Alfred down on the counter. At first, I thought he was just going to give me another failed pep talk. Boy what a surprise it was to see him pull his fist back and clock me in the jaw. I fell off my stool and rubbed my probably dislocated jaw and bruised cheek, staring up at him with wide eyes. He cracked his knuckles before picking up Alfred again. "Seriously, get up off your ass and do what you have to do. Otherwise I'll try to beat it into you until you do." Alfred hiccupped and gagged, not a good sign for Gilbert who had a nice shirt on today. "Think of it this way, you don't get what you want by sitting on your ass all damn day and moping. You want Lukas?"

I nodded for fear that he would hit me again. In my current state, I was in no shape to fight back.

"_Then go get him!" _

I nodded quickly and stumbled to my feet, bolting out the door as soon as I got half my balance. Gilbert followed calmly after me and headed in the other direction.

Where was I going, you ask? I was booking it to Lukas' place. I need to tell him at some point I can't stand not having him to talk to. Whether or not it's romantic now, our relationship will get there eventually!

"I WILL HAVE YOU EVENTUALLY, LUKAS BONDEVIK!" I shouted to the air. Each step I made nearly made me trip. I did at one point too; right into the road. My jaw is getting all sorts of abused today. But I got straight back up and stumbled on. As best as I could run, I started running. Anything to get to my precious Luke! My Norge, my Lukie for crying out loud!

I thought I was close to passing out right then and there. Two bright lights, shiny, white and piercing, were the only sign I had to my impending sleep for the night.

Those lights hurt _a lot_ more than I thought they would… I think I heard my arm snap on the way down.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Honestly, I think I found a new friend. Surprising, maybe. But this Arthur character is very educated, somebody I can talk to without dumbing down my sentences. The coffee shop he led me to was pretty upscale, so he obviously had a job that could pay for the expensive coffee I was drinking and he was as polite as the stereotypical British man was supposed to be. Where was this guy when I needed him before?

I eagerly continued to sip my coffee even though it burned my tongue and throat on the way down. The latte was close to ten dollars, but it was so worth it in the end. Since I forgot my wallet, Arthur offered to pay for the entire bill plus tax. I told him I would pay him back for my half of it, but he blatantly refused and told me not to worry about it.

"You shouldn't have to pay for an act of hospitality. It simply isn't the proper thing to do." He said, an unbreakable but slightly out of place smile brightening his features. I just nodded and accepted it for now. I had shivered with my last, most pleasing sip of Joe. The act made Arthur sit a little straighter, more observant. "Are you still cold, mate? Do you want another cuppa?"

I shook my head fiercely. The last thing I want was even more guilt to deal with later. "No, no, no. I was just shivering from the warmth. It's refreshing."

He let out a sigh of relief. "Good. I'm glad to have helped." He leaned forward, hands clasped together with a sudden interest in his eyes. "Now what led you to nearly get frostbite in the first place?"

I fixed my eyes down on the table, rubbing my thumb against the coffee cup still in my hands. "Well… I'm not so sure…"

"Not sure about confiding in me or not sure what's wrong?"

"The first one."

"Ah." He leaned back and tapped his chin a few times, deeply in thought. "Well, I'm nearly out of cash, so I have no other way to bribe it out of you." He looked out the window next to us at the bar across the way, looking dazed for a second before looking back at me. "Well look at it this way, if you can't tell me, who can you tell?"

I quirked an eyebrow at him, somehow managing to smile. "Well sorry for not trusting a stranger."

"Are you still on that? I'm pretty sure we've gotten past that by now."

"Not really, Arthur. I don't know enough about you to call you a friend. More like an acquaintance."

He smirked. "Well allow me to change that." He leaned forward again and looked deeply into my eyes, not perturbed in the slightest by their dark shade of blue. "I'm twenty-three, homosexual, work at the library here, study foreign folklore and don't currently have a boyfriend. More like a friend with benefits who wants more."

Not that I really wanted to know he was gay, but okay. Whatever floats his boat.

"Is that good enough for you? Are we more than just acquaintances?"

"I guess…" I mumbled. He smirked gloatingly at me.

"Now what's wrong?"

I really didn't want to have to tell him. He still isn't someone I should confide my love life with being we're still more or less strangers to each other. But maybe if I tell someone I can get over it and move on. "Just some guy trouble."

"By 'guy trouble' do you mean you have feelings for someone and they don't share it or they have feelings for you and you don't share them?"

I shook my head, keeping my head down while tracing the outline of my cup. "Sort of both but not really."

He raised an eyebrow at me. "How so?"

"Well," I sighed. "We met at the bar after my cousin dragged me into the one he worked at. Since then he's been flirting with me and I've been denying any feelings until recently. He doesn't know I that I've realized I do love him after all. I haven't talked to him since this morning, sure, but it's almost too quiet without him since he's so loud."

I seriously thought I sounded like a drama queen straight out of a soap opera and that Arthur would say "That's it?" But instead he nodded with an understanding smile. "Your predicament sounds a bit like my own."

In honest to goodness curiosity, I asked, "What's your problem?"

Arthur looked outside the window next to us and stared at the bar across the street. It wasn't the one Mathias worked in, but I'm pretty sure it was their competition. He pointed towards it and said, "We met in the pub over there. He came up to me, asked if I wanted to dance and I accepted. Next thing I knew I was in his apartment and sweating enough to fill a kiddie pool." Ew… Okay, too much information. "But he seemed like a nice guy so we met up a little more frequently. He would constantly 'sext' me but I had no issue with it. It was erotic for a time, enjoyable." Seriously, we're in a public place. Is he really telling me about his sex life in a coffee shop? I blame myself for asking.

"He would even want me to top at times-" I shook my head quickly and waved my hands in his face.

"Alright, alright. I get it. Get to the point already."

He looked at me a little angrily, but he must have understood he was going a little far. "The other day he asked if I wanted to take things a little further and move in with him." He blinked, looking like he was lost in his own little world for a moment and slowly shook his head. "The bloke was going too fast for my taste, so I said no. We haven't talked since."

Now that he actually got on with the story, maybe I can get something out of this. "Did you like him?"

"That's the thing, isn't it? I honestly have no clue. He's good looking and all, good in the sheets. But he's annoying otherwise. Loud, obnoxious, doing unsightly things to me in public. It's just too much, you know? There has to be some redeeming qualities to him, but I'm just not sure."

"Well maybe you should go and talk to him."

"I could say the same for you."

We stared at each other for a minute, examining each other's faces as far as I could tell. What else was there to look at really? His lips flattened into a line and I'm pretty sure mine did too. We really were kind of alike. He has what sounds like a loud obnoxious guy hanging around, I have Mathias. He's having love troubles with said man, I'm having issues with Mathias. Where was this guy I needed him years ago? High school certainly would have been a lot easier.

Eventually, I held out my hand. If he told me his life story, I should tell him mine. "Lukas Bondevik. I'm eighteen, gay, have a little brother, enjoy Norse fairy tales and legends and have a guy who is depressed because I pretty much rejected him."

Arthur took my hand and stood up. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Lukas." Again, he looked outside but this time not at the bar. "We should take our leave now. It's getting a little late. I can drive you home if you want."

I shrugged for what must have been the hundredth time today. "Whatever. I could use the ride if I don't want to freeze on the way home."

He smiled, letting go of my hand and emptying his wallet of all the money he had. He had said something about letting them keep the change because he was being charitable, but I was only half listening. I was still thinking about what I would say to Mathias if I ever see him again. Should I tell him flat out my feelings for him or beat around the bush and leave little tid bits for him to pick up?

The next thing I knew, we were in a pretty beat up car that I suppose must have been Arthur's. He started it up and got the inside nice and toasty before saying, "I got my license taken away for DUI, but I have a permit now. That should be good enough."

I stared at him disbelievingly. _He_ DUI'd? What is this world coming to and why am I in a car with a perfect example of human morality gone to the gutters? "You sure?"

Arthur looked back as he started to reverse into the road, tongue sticking out a little in concentration. "Of course I am!" He started moving forward in the direction of my house. His eyes were shut with glee, probably still reveling in the fact that I know about folklores like he does. "Who can be more sure than-"

My eyes widened, pointing at the person stumbling into the road. "WATCH OUT!"

"What- HOLY SHIT!" Arthur skidded to a halt but not fast enough, the person wrenched forward, rolling across the hood of the car and falling back upon hitting his head on the windshield. Both Arthur and I stayed frozen in our seats for a few minutes, watching to see if the blond now lying in the road would move. He never did. "Stupid drunken bugger! Who walks in the middle of the street like that?! You obviously can't control your liquor!"

"Are you seriously yelling at this guy? What if he's dead?!" I shouted. This guy is nice and all but damn is he irrational!

"Preposterous. No one can die like that. I was going at forty miles and stopped. He probably just got a concussion."

"Which people sometimes die from!"

With a sigh, Arthur rubbed his temples. "Get out and see if he's okay…" He commanded.

"You're the driver! You go check!"

"Okay, fine, fine! We'll both look." With that we stepped out and slowly made our way to the quite possibly dead man in the road. Luckily, his chest was moving up and down, so he was breathing. But after stepping within a foot radius of the body, the red shirt, the black pants and tie loosely hanging off of him… The little black hat sitting next to my feet, seemed all too familiar for comfort. I bent over and picked up the hat, staring at the messy head of hair he possessed, flatly sprawled across his face and the asphalt beneath him.

"… Arthur. You ran over Mathias…"

I am _so_ dead.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Love is like a speeding car driven by a Brit, huh? XD Now what's Lukas going to do? Will Mathias be okay? Will these two lovebirds ever get together? And will Arthur ever stop getting sexts? FIND OUT NEXT TIME ON I'LL HAVE YOU EVENTUALLY! (Okay, maybe the last question won't get answered…)

Comments and constructive criticism are much appreciated! I apologize for any grammatical or spelling errors! From my computer to yours, this is Wurstlover178, signing off! ¡HASTA LUEGO, MI GENTES!

**HOPE YOU ENJOY MY EARLY PRESENT OF AN UPDATE! REMEMBER MY 100****TH**** COMMENT DEAL! TAKE AS LONG AS YOU NEED TO, BUT DON'T FORGET THE FABULOUS PRIZE! **

**HO HO HO, HOMMIES! AND A MERRY PRUSSIAN AWESOME CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL!**


	12. Realign

DA-DUM! *quack quack* (Anyone get the reference? … Anybody? … No? *sits in Emo Corner alone*) Hey guys! I'm back! I'm not sure for how long though, so if I poof suddenly, I got my laptop taken away again. I'm not even joking, I got it confiscated on CHRISTMAS EVE. :/ Worst Christmas ever, I have to say.

Guys, I am proud to say that this story is already featured in its SECOND community! When I saw that, I seriously wanted to glomp the person responsible for helping "I'll Have You Eventually" achieve such a feat!

Because of this, I'm updating again, trying desperately to make this chappie one of the best I've ever released. Enjoy guys! You all deserve it!

XXXXXXXXXXX

"LUKAS!" Tino seemed to jump out of nowhere and hugged my neck firmly. I had been "enjoying" my time in the waiting room by staring off into space and thinking about what could possibly go wrong with Mathias while he was in the emergency room. The ideas that came to mind were kind of grim, even for me. So you could imagine how shocked I was when my cousin came barreling through the air and held on like a baby koala to its mother.

"Um… hey." I looked over his shoulder at Berwald, Emil and Peter, who were all staring at Tino like he was mad. I didn't blame them either.

"How is he? Is he okay?" Tino asked as soon as he tore himself away from me.

"I don't know. He's been in there for almost two hours now."

Berwald came over and put a hand on my shoulder, his other hand occupied with keeping Peter in place by his side. It was obvious by the look on the little devil's face that he wanted to run off somewhere and wreak some havoc, so I mentally thanked Berwald for holding him back. "He'll b' fine."

For some reason, his words of encouragement meant a little more than Arthur's did. But not by much.

"Sure." I mumbled, looking over at Emil warily. He seemed a little spaced out, staring at the fluorescent lights for a minute, walking around aimlessly and touching random things. It was only when he sat down on the floor with a magazine with puffins on the cover that I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding.

Maybe I'm just paranoid over hurting someone else I love…

Tino was surprisingly quiet for a while, probably fairly intimidated by Berwald's warning glances. Peter eventually calmed down enough to sit next to Emil and read his magazine over his shoulder, which Emil didn't like very much, judging by how his shoulders were hunched. I sighed and looked at Tino, the fact that I was suddenly acknowledging him making him sit up a little straighter.

"Tino," I didn't know how to say it; it just stayed on my tongue, burned like acid. With a lot more effort than it should have taken, I forced myself to say, "I'm scared…"

I know it wasn't technically my fault. Arthur was the one who hit Mathias in the first place. But I felt like if I hadn't let him leave the house the way he did, he wouldn't have been sprawled out on the street like he was then. We'd either be walking around town or sitting in either of our houses while he goes on and on just to annoy the living daylights out of me. Now he's crippled…

"I'll never be able to get the sight of his twisted arm out of my head. It just didn't look natural." Tino actually didn't put his two cents into the conversation, something I was grateful for. Berwald didn't say anything either, but his silence spoke a thousand words. "This is all my fault." My head fell into my hands, the urge to break down and cry from the guilt overwhelming. But I had to hold back; what would Emil have thought if I was weakened to the point of crying?

Besides, the brat would think he was right all along about me holding in my "feelings" for Mathias. This was true, in all actuality… But I would never admit to that.

"Um… Ber?" Tino wasn't even trying to help! Thanks a lot, you jerk…

"Hm?"

"Where's Emil?"

My head snapped up then to see Peter sitting alone on the floor, staring at an ad for real estate in the magazine my brother was once reading. "Emil?" My voice hit another octave. "Emil!"

"Lukas, calm down. You'll give yourself a-" I cut Tino off for once, giving him a piece of his own medicine.

"I don't care! Emil!" Peter looked up at all of us starting to become frantic. Tino had given up trying to keep me under control, going over to the receptionist to ask if she saw the little pale haired boy go anywhere. Berwald picked up the coffee table, successfully scaring the other patrons in the room.

"Emil's gone?" He asked. I ended up glaring at him, rushing over and picking him up by the collar.

"Listen, you! Where did Emil go?"

"Let go of me! I don't know!" By now, the other people with us went from being frightened of Berwald to staring at me in disbelief. Probably because I was endangering a child right now. But he's not mine, so I don't really care. Peter started kicking and crying for his "father's" help, Berwald charging and snatching him away.

"Tha's not necess'ry." He growled, his expression pretty intimidating now. I shrunk back a little, but still looked for Emil. He couldn't have gotten far; but the hospital is humungous.

As I checked behind chairs and the magazine rack, Tino started heading down another hallway in search of him. Berwald set Peter down, asked him kindly if he knew anything and stormed off in the direction opposite of Tino's. He truly was a man on a mission now.

"Emil! For the love of God, you better be here!"

"So _that_ is your name!"

I froze and turned around, shoulders slumping at the sight before me. Emil was perfectly safe, his mouth occupied with the lollipop he had and his hand held by a man in a white lab coat. The name tag on it said "Doctor Vladimir Popescu". His strawberry blond hair was being flattened by this queer little top hat he wore.

Emil's lips popped as he replied, "Yep" and went back to sucking away.

I raised an eyebrow at the doctor, not surprised in the slightest that he put him in the nearest chair rather than give him directly to me. Word of my assault of Peter didn't spread that quickly, did it? The doctor's smile revealed sharp fangs, his red eyes only making me a little more wary of him. If I didn't know any better, I would have said he was a vampire.

"So… he's your family?" He asked. I couldn't put my finger on what accent he had, but it_ had_ to be some sort of Eastern European.

I faltered a little, but answered. "Yes. Where was he?"

He let out a little chuckle that sounded for more devilish than it should have. "The cheeky little guy snuck into the room we put one of our patients in! Then, out of the blue, he started humming a little song, plopped himself in my stool and stole one of the lollipops I had on the side table!" He shook his head and his laugh got harder. "He actually seems to enjoy the black licorice flavor!"

I nodded, smiling sheepishly. "Yeah. He likes licorice a lot."

Emil barely even nodded before looking between the two of us. "How is he, mister?" He asked the doctor.

His smile suddenly fell and he shook his head. "I'm not entitled to tell you. It's against the rules. You're not a relative of his."

"But that's not fair! Lukie really likes him!"

It was then that Doctor Popescu really gave me a good look over, his expression dumbfounded. "Are you two related to Mathias Køhler?"

The very mention of his name nearly gave me a heart attack. From the look on Emil's face, my face must have taken a turn for the worst as far as self-restraint goes. "Is he alright?"

The same grave expression, the same frown… When will these looks of pity stop? "Well, he successfully got severe road rash on his shoulders and lower back. Along with that, we suspect he has a concussion." He turned away and started walking down the hallway, motioning for me to follow. Emil hopped down from his chair first and took his hand again, enjoying his lollipop immensely while I fought to catch up. "The broken arm was pretty obvious. His humerus is completely fractured, and his radius cracked halfway down the middle."

"You mean the bone that leads to his shoulder, right?"

"The humerus, yes. The radius is the top portion of your lower arm before reaching the wrist." He turned into the last room in the hallway, quickly grabbing an X-Ray off the lighted wall and pointed at the exact bones. Emil looked a little upset that the doctor traded his hand for a stupid picture, so he went to the nearest bowl of candy and started digging through that. "His radius didn't snap, so that's the good news. He also has a large bruise on his side. I suspect the left side of his torso was the portion the car hit. Is that correct?"

I nodded, my throat closing up suddenly. Looking at the X-rays of Mathias' arm didn't help my slowly blooming guilt any. The bones snapped clear through! No wonder he looked like he was in so much pain when we got out of the car.

Doctor Popescu put the picture back on the wall, patting Emil's head as he passed by. "He's getting arm realigned as of right now. The cast will come later, but our concern right now is the immobilization of the arm before it becomes an open fracture."

"Ew… That would look weird." Emil said through his stuffed cheeks. He had pulled out a box of licorice and took a seat on a stool in the corner of the room. "The bone would be sticking out and stuff!"

I flinched at the image, but Doctor Popescu laughed and nodded. "Yes it would! That's why we're taking care of it! We see this stuff all the time!"

"Cool."

"So, Doctor," His attention came back to me briefly before he looked back at Emil. I guess he was just worried about the chipmunk cheeks he was starting to get. "How long will it be until he's out of the hospital?"

"For now, he'll have to stay under our observation for a few days. Concussions have to be taken seriously. But by the end of the day, he should have his cast and be ready to go as soon as we clear him of any head injuries."

I felt like a heavy load was taken off my shoulders with those words. He wasn't hurt that badly, I suppose. But it wasn't the damage that made me feel sick; it was the principle that he was damaged in the first place.

"When will he come to?"

He shrugged. "It varies depending on the person. I've noticed that some people vary based on personality. Lethargic people take longer to recover, while those that are active open their eyes mere minutes after the surgery. When he wakes up is all on him now."

Knowing Mathias, I just might be able to strangle him for his stupidity in a few hours! He deserves it too. I wouldn't be surprised if I was slapped across the face for putting him in danger.

"Lukie," Emil's voice rang through the room, both Doctor Popescu and I looking over at how crestfallen his face bcame. "I'm tired…" A glance at the clock told me it was well after ten o'clock at night, way past his usual bedtime.

"I don't blame you." I replied, yawning after he did. For a second, I was starting to get sleepy myself.

The doctor just smiled at us and waved goodbye as Emil took my hand and started to lead me to the waiting room. It was almost like he knew Tino and the others would be there. They started coddling Emil-everyone except Berwald-and escorted themselves out the door after I had a long ten minute argument with Tino about why I didn't want to come home. By the time I sat down and looked at the clock, it was ten-thirty five.

As if I needed to know when my vigil actually began. _Damn it, Mathias. You better get up soon._

XXXXXXXXXXX

FFFFFFFFF-! *head explodes* IT'S THE MOMENT YOU'VE BEEN WAITING FOR!

No, they didn't do it yet… (Sadly.)

IT'S AN UPDATE, YOU PERVERTS! xD I hope you enjoyed. I don't think it was the best, especially since I was gone for a while. Plus, I think the ending was rather sudden. Meh… *shrugs* The next chappie will be posted real soon if not in a few hours, so don't worry! The fun continues! Comments and constructive criticism are much appreciated! I apologize for any grammatical or spelling errors! From my computer to yours, this is Wurstlover178, signing off! ¡HASTA LUEGO, MI GENTES!


	13. Savor the Moment

DA-DUM! *quack quack* Anyone? *sigh* Hey guys! I'M BACK! Two chappies in one day! *Throws confetti into the air* My last chapter was kind of short, but I'm making up for it here! I noticed a lot of y'all realized the doc was Romania, and you guys are 100% correct! I felt like I had to make him join in on the fun since he's a new charrie and all. He's my icon, for crying out loud. What'd you want me to do? Treat him like chopped liver? xD ANYWHORE! Hetalia doesn't belong to me! Review or Russia-san will beat me with his pipe! (lol)

XXXXXXXXXXX

When the nurse shook my shoulder to wake me up, I nearly jumped out of my skin. I quickly regained my composure though and squinted past the fluorescent lights at the middle aged woman smiling kindly at me. She had told me Mathias was awake. It was like God had answered my prayers! I hid my excitement though, trying to see more of the world than a thin slit through my eyelids.

She helped me to my feet and I nearly collapsed from a head rush. According to the receptionist, I had been asleep for three hours after Emil and the rest left. It was refreshing, sure, but it didn't help my nerves any. In fact, just being led down the hallway made me far more nervous than it should have. It was almost completely empty, the lonesome janitor glaring at me then going back to the mopping while dancing to the music blaring from his headphones. Those "custodians" really do have a pedophilic air about them, don't they?

An elevator ride to the fourth floor and a detour to the nearest receptionist later, I was walking by myself to Room 704. The nurse had to take care of the extra scrubs in the laundry and promised to help me out if I needed it. I honestly felt like I was in a hotel rather than a hospital; a hotel that reeks of rubbing alcohol, bleach and patients that haven't showered in a while.

The door to Room 704 was cracked open, a small sliver of light coming through it. I swallowed the lump in my throat and pushed it open slowly. I was shocked by what I saw.

Mathias looked so beaten up it was ridiculous! You'd think from what the doctor said, it wasn't that serious, but he was riddled with bruises from head to toe! One of his eyes was barely open his black eye was so bad! His right eye was open enough to look at me in the doorway though. The smile that spread across his face was as if he wasn't in the hospital at all, just full of life and his adolescent mischievous demeanor shining through. If it weren't for the cast on his arm and the bandages around his head, I would have smiled back at the excited stare he put on me.

"Lukas!" He called out, trying to sit up but failing. He winced, his right hand clutching his back as he laid himself down again. "Ow! You're here!"

"Of course I am." I said back. It wasn't until I stepped in and remembered what I said that I added, "Someone has to pay your medical bills."

His smile fell. "But I have a job. I can pay for it myself."

I glared at him, taking a seat in the chair next to his bed. "Not if I have anything to say about it." In an instant, his smile was back and growing into a grin at our close proximity. He must have been happy that I wasn't strangling him. Speaking of which… "What the Hell were you thinking when you walked in front of a car?!"

He blinked, still grinning as he laid his head back against the pillows. "I was drunk, I guess. Doc said my blood alcohol level was high enough to get me tipsy."

"So you were drunk?"

"Yep."

"That's a habit you should stop."

"No way!" He cried. "Beer is my life! You can't make me stop drinking! I have as much a right to drink as you do breathe!"

"It's still not healthy."

"Says you…" He crossed his arm over his new red cast, pouting and staring at the door. The silence between us barely lasted a minute before my guilty conscious took over.

"Do you remember anything about the accident?"

Mathias glanced back at me, arms still crossed. He looked up at the tiles on the ceiling like they had the answer to the question and shook his head. "Nope. All I remember is being with my friends at the bar and now I'm here."

_Typical…_ I thought. I had the sinking feeling he wouldn't remember. Now I'm left mulling over the guilt and I'll never be able to get acceptance for an apology. "I guess the injuries must have been terrible then."

"Hell yeah, they were! My arm was hurting like a bitch when I came to in the emergency room!"

At least he's still his loud, energetic self. That gives me the opportunity to act like I usually would around him. "Don't be ridiculous. You were probably still under medication when you were in there."

"No! I really woke up in the middle of my surgery!" He managed to wriggle himself up into an upright position and grabbed the remote next to his bed. The top half of it started to rise in order to help him sit without straining himself. He relaxed and started his story. "I don't remember how I got there, but when I woke up they were in the process of getting my arm realigned! They popped it and I screamed so damn loud the nurse fainted from shock!" He started to laugh and slap his knee with his good hand, expecting me to laugh with him. "Best shit I've ever seen!"

I shook my head and leaned back in my chair. "You really do come up with the weirdest stories."

"It's not a story! This actually happened!"

"I'll believe it when I see it."

"Ask the doc when he shows up later! He was right there to catch her when it happened!"

"Doctor Popescu?" How could he have possibly been in the emergency room during the alignment process? Wasn't he with Emil and I with the X-rays?

"No. This other guy… Doctor Edelstein, I think it was?"

That would explain a lot. I shrugged it off and said, "I will when I do."

"Which means never."

"Excuse me?" I snapped. He leaned over to his left to avoid my piercing glare, hand up in surrender.

"Nothing, nothing! Nothing at all!"

"That's what I thought."

His heart monitor sped up a little after this little unspoken threat of mine, returning to normal as soon as I accepted his surrender. He huffed and leaned back over, staring at the television on the wall mindlessly like I was. It was some sort of news report on the new Gerber baby and who the original person was or something like that. I wasn't really paying attention.

"Hey, Lukas." Mathias said.

"What now?"

"Where's Tino and the others?"

I found it surprising, not that he asked, but that he labeled the whole group of "Tino, Berwald, Peter and Emil" into "Tino and the others" like I usually did. You learn new things every day. "They had to go home and put Peter and Emil in bed."

Mathias started chuckling, holding back his muffled snickers with no success. "Maybe they're putting themselves to bed too, if you know what I mean."

It took me a minute to put together his lewd joke, but when I did, I wanted to smack him in the back of the head with all the strength I had. I held back only because if I did, he would be in even worse shape than he was. "Shut up. I don't want to hear any sex jokes about my cousin."

"Ew…" His laughter immediately stopped, opting to stick out his tongue instead. "You're right… The last thing I want to think about is Berwald doing Tino up the ass. That's just a nasty…"

My hand twitched then, the urge getting hard to fight. This is proving to be harder than I thought. "Aren't you gay though? How is that nasty?"

"I didn't mean it that way! Hell, I'm probably a strong six on the One-to-Ten Gay-dar. Tino and Berwald together rack up a good, ol' twelve! That's just…" He shivered. "Not something I want to think about."

He has a point there… I honestly don't want to think about Berwald violating my cousin. I can barely even think of Emil _growing up_ and being in a relationship! Then again, I can't even imagine myself in a relationship.

I'm pathetic.

Mathias was halfway through a deep inhale of boredom when he stopped and groaned, his legs twitching. I raised an eyebrow at him, looking up at his EKG. It seemed normal enough but his groan of pain was telling me different. Which one do I listen to?

"Oh, fuck… That hurt."

"You okay?"

"I'm good. Just a little pinch in my nerve, I think." I smiled at me but it didn't look too confident like it usually was. As if to answer me, his jaw clenched again and he let out a little whine, lying back down with his legs acting up even more.

"You sure it's not your road rash hurting you?"

"I'm not hurt!" He yelled out stubbornly. He seemed to regret it afterwards, raking his hand through his hair while tossing and turning. His sheets were starting to fall off the bed, so I got up and draped them over him again. If he started shivering as well as whining with pain, I don't think this would end well. Sitting back down, I shot him a stare that normally helps when I'm convincing others.

"You are, Mathias. Look at yourself. You're in a hospital for a reason."

I guess this time I wasn't too convincing. "I'm fine, alright!" His one eye narrowed at me, growling at me with insistent menace. I stepped back, a look of disbelief crossing my face.

"You have the nerve to yell at me?! I'm trying to help you!"

"What a load of help you are then!"

"Don't patronize me!"

"Fuuuuck…" His yelling stopped for a moment to turn away and stare at the wall, holding back tears. The monitor beeped faster, his forehead letting out little beads of sweat. His hair looked even messier and flatter than usual. "The button… The button." His words were barely audible as he reached out for the big red button on the wall marked "Assistance". After stretching and trying for almost several minutes, he gave up and rolled over onto his back again, trying to control his breathing. By the sound of the EKG, it wasn't working; in fact, the beeping got faster and faster as time wore on.

I didn't bother to speak; talking would probably ruin Mathias' concentration. I know if I was in this much pain, I'd want the silence to help control my breathing. Staring at my feet, I decided to keep that philosophy of "Treat others the way you want to be treated" and stayed silent.

"Lukas…" He moaned. I looked up at him to see his blue eyes turned misty with tears. He hissed through his teeth and clutched his side in pain but managed to turn his head towards me. "Come here."

I raised an eyebrow at him. What would this accomplish? Did he need me to press the "Assistance" button? I grabbed the chair and pulled it a little closer to his side warily, looking around for any on lookers. No one needs to see us this close together. "Is this good enough?"

He shook his head as gently as he could without hurting himself. "Closer…" He groaned and looked away for a minute. His dedication to whatever he was trying to do brought him back, his hand reaching out for me.

I did so but not without hesitation. We were barely three feet away from each other now, as the chair and the bed permitted. The railing that I leaned my shoulder on didn't help either. His hand dropped again, a shaking inhale making his EKG go wild. The beeping was constant, speeding up in his stress. "Damn it. Why are you so far away?"

"How much closer can I possibly get? What the Hell do you want from me anyway?!"

Mathias rolled his eye and glared, lips pursed. His hand shot up suddenly and grabbed the collar of my shirt, pulling me in. "What are you-" I never got the chance to answer.

The next thing I knew his eye was closed like the other and our lips connected with so much force it almost hurt. I was left staring up close and personal at his black eye, a much more different angle than I wanted to see in my life time. He got so into the moment, his hand left my collar and rested on my cheek, giving my face unnecessary support.

I wasn't even trying to squirm away; it was too late for that. But I couldn't control how my heart rate went supersonic within seconds. My eyes widened and I could feel my knees shaking despite how I was sitting down. I didn't know what to do with myself! My hands went from hovering above the railing to clutching the sheets on top of him in my fists without me realizing.

_This is a dream! I just know it!_ If my pinching from the scene of the accident proved anything, this was no dream. It was so surreal though, I didn't know what to believe anymore. Was I in Heaven and playing out my hidden fantasies or was I in Hell and being mocked with unaccomplished desires?

My mind was jumbled up to the point where I scrunched my eyes closed and let it happen. I just played dead while his lips seemed to take in mine with the desperation of a man dying of thirst. Maybe that's what this was; a simple desperate action in his delusion.

To my surprise, Mathias didn't try to wriggle his tongue into my mouth, bite my lip or anything you would see in the movies. He just held onto me for what felt like ages and kissed me so gently, a butterfly would be jealous of his touch.

Finally, he let go and sighed while I wrenched my head back. Instinct took over and I wiped my mouth off on my sleeve, but he didn't notice. His eyes just stayed closed, his shallow breathing betraying the actual pain behind his blissed out face. "You… Have no idea…" He winced and rolled onto his side, facing me and smiling. His eye barely opened and stared at me. "How long I've wanted to do that."

My jaw hung slightly open, staring back at his eye intently. There was still that mischievous glow in his iris, but it was dominated by the adoring aura floating around him. His heart monitor was going nuts now. Whether it was from his distress or the adrenaline of what just happened, I'll never know.

A couple nurses ran in, putting Mathias' back on his back and making sure his tubes were still in place. Apparently, his morphine drip came undone. One of them took out a needle and plunged it into his arm right in front of me. I was forced to stand up and avoid the situation in its entirety. He locked eyes with mine one last time before the blueness of his rolled to the back of his head and he went limp in small increments of time.

The other looked over at me and saw the distressed look I had. It was that middle aged lady from earlier, I realized as she patted my back. "This happens often. Don't worry."

It wasn't that I was afraid about his sudden convulsions of pain. I was more surprised that Mathias kissed me.

_Mathias kissed me._ The thought made my head dizzy, many more ideas flooding in afterwards. _What did he do that for? Didn't he say he wanted to do that for a while? This can't be real. This just can't!_ But it was. I pinched myself again much to the surprise of the nurse to be sure. I was still standing in Room 704 with Mathias in a hospital bed, beaten up beyond belief and he had pulled me into a kiss I didn't know he wanted for what could very well have been a long time. Maybe since the first day we met! That wouldn't have been surprising.

I stood there and stared at him, worried that he would wake up in a few hours, be looking for me and I wouldn't be there. I shook my head and left the room as fast as I could, trying to forget what just happened. I must have given him the wrong impression by letting him do that and not pulling away.

But if he wakes up and doesn't remember anything, what will I do with myself? He still has that concussion after all. Concussions make people lose their short term memory, right? I'll be standing here in a daze expecting him to come barreling towards me some day and plant what would actually be our second kiss. To him, it would be his first and he wouldn't have thought otherwise.

I don't know how long it took or when I actually got out there, but I was standing in the parking lot, the streetlight above on the sidewalk leaving a pale yellow circle around me. It was cold outside and I remembered that Arthur had come and went home a long time ago, along with the jacket he offered me when I was in the park.

I rubbed my arms with my hands and looked back at the hospital doors. If Mathias wakes up and remembers everything, I have no idea what I'll do. But since he has a concussion, I think I can safely assume he won't.

Suddenly, it hit me. The irony that he wouldn't remember anything he said or did the next day was almost too coincidental to be true. I was drunk, said some things, did some things and got home the next morning without remembering a thing. Now he had been drunk, is hyped up on morphine and will probably wake up without a single shred of recollection of what happened.

I frowned and looked down at the frost permeating around me. Even the asphalt of the parking lot was forming a white layer of extremely thin frost. I felt cold, yet warmed at the memory of the kiss at the same time. I don't know how, but my heart rate returned to normal and I took a deep breath.

"An eye for an eye, huh Mathias?" If I hurt him once, maybe it was time for me to carry the pain of disappointment for once. As I walked away, I only wished I was able to savor that moment while it lasted instead of panicking like I did.

I'm such a dolt…

XXXXXXXXXXX

*GASP!* Will Lukas be okay after this somewhat traumatizing event? Will Mathias remember anything that happened? And will Emil ever come home with a pet walrus? FIND OUT NEXT TIME ON I'LL HAVE YOU EVENTUALLY!

LOL! Hope you enjoyed guys! Comments and constructive criticism are much appreciated! I apologize for any grammatical or spelling errors! From my computer to yours, this is Wurstlover178, signing off! ¡HASTA LUEGO, MI GENTES!

(P.S. Did anyone notice his room number was Room 704? 7-04 is America's Independence Day but American-Danish people celebrate it in Denmark as well. :3 Little fun fact for y'alls.)

**Pease support Autism Spectrum Disorder research. Thank you. (You don't have to suddenly spend your college savings on a research foundation for Autism, but it's National Autism Awareness Month. I just want to spread the word that this disorder exists and let you guys know that April is Autism Awareness Month. If you're curious, look it up on your own accord. I don't want to be banned from the site for this. Like I said, I'm just a messenger. I know several people with Autism and I'm sure many people elsewhere on FanFiction do too. For the whole month, I will put this exact blurb on all my updates. THANK YOU AND PLEASE DON'T REPORT ME!)**


	14. Crippling Fear

DA-DUM! *quack quack* Like I said, I'm gonna keep doing this until someone gets it. I just feel the need to. I should be updating my other stories too, but of course, your frantic fangirl squeals call out to me like a tiny car horn to a pack of clowns. XD

Special shout outs to Avoila, RoseMatoBird and FlyingMintBunnies!

Avoila! I never expected someone to actually comment about my blurb for Autism Awareness, so thanks a whole bunch! You gave me a huge motivation boost to continue my story after all that and pretty much a quarter of this chapter was written 30 minutes after I began talking to you.

RoseMatoBird! You two are just… *faints* I get so much freakin' support from you guys, it's intimidating and motivational all at once! Your fic is just as awesome if not awesomer than what you say my fic is! Hell, I'm telling my other readers RIGHT NOW to check out The DenNor Diaries on YouTube on the Kitten Domination channel. This, my readers, is DenNor GOLD. If you haven't read the fic, I guarantee you'll still laugh!

FlyingMintBunnies! Mint-chan! I've said this thousands of times before and I will do it for the rest of my life! Thank you for all your support to "I'll Have You Eventually"! You have given me many motivation explosions in the past and still do to this day!

I really feel this chappie couldn't have even been accomplished with the help of the people above. I'm not joking. Half the time was near quitting and then these guys, whether it was as of late or from months of knowing them, came along and kept me going. I never told anyone I was even _considering_ dropping this story. Now I realize what a huge mistake that fleeting idea was. I never want to run into an issue like that again. Fans, I'm proud to say "I MADE THIS FOR YOU"! I hope you'll have as much fun reading this story as I do writing it. :D

You know the drill! I own nothing but the plot! ENJOY!

XXXXXXXXXXX

"I don't really need a wheelchair, do I?" I asked the nurse behind me. She was carting me around hospital grounds to get some fresh air when I asked that. Over the past few days, she's been really nice to me, saying I remind her of her teenage nephew and stuff like that. I would have thought she had grandchildren by now, but apparently she never had kids. I didn't need to know that much info, but I did learn her name was Beatrice.

She smiled kindly and nodded. "It's procedure. You're still recovering from a concussion and broken bones. That much bodily trauma wouldn't be good to walk around with."

I guess she was right. I stared down at the pale blue blanket it my lap, my boots poking out from under it on the footrests. "That much I get but… I feel like a pregnant lady in this thing."

We stopped next to a bed of flowers and she sat down at the nearest bench, but she looked confused. "Pregnant lady?"

"Yeah, I mean… I'm sure all of them can walk after they give birth, right? So why do they need wheelchairs when they can say," I did my famous womanly impression and flipped my hair with my hand, batting my eyes. "'I'm gonna take my baby now 'cause I can' and walk out before forcing her dead beat boyfriend to pay child support."

She chuckled at my impression, making me grin. Score one of the day: Make Beatrice laugh harder than yesterday. She shook her head and pushed up her old lady glasses to the bridge of her nose. "Well, that was a blunt way to put it but yes. All women that leave the maternity ward have to be in wheelchairs when they leave the hospital."

"But why? It's not really necessary. Like, I didn't break my legs yet I'm in this thing. Pregnant women are the same thing! Unless she broke her hip or coccyx or something, then that's fine. Other than that, what's the reason?"

She stared at the flowers in front of us. I wished I was able to sit on the bench like a normal person but either Doc Edelstein or Popescu would yell at me again. "Well, they get tired after such an exciting and painful moment in their lives."

"So they can take a nap, get some meds and walk out, right?"

She shook her head again, her expression suddenly serious. "We can't do that. We have legal liabilities to uphold. If they get hurt, it's our fault."

This made me sit up straighter in my chair. "That can't be right! C'mon, if a chick trips on her way out, how's it your fault?!" Her eyes widened and she stared at me like I was insane. If I went a little over board on this one, I don't really give a damn. "If she trips and slips on a banana peel on her way out, she should have been a bit more careful. Legal liabilities be damned, y'know? The more nurses you waste on people who don't need help, the less people there are helping people who do!"

I was glad she let me vent the way I did; I guess I must have been going a little stir crazy over the past few days. She patted my shoulder and leaned over, so close I was able to see nearly every wrinkle on her face. It was kind of unnerving, but her smile was like a mental sign telling me to calm down. I took a deep breath and looked away before glancing back at her, her smile bigger now.

"That's just the way things are, Mathias." She said, her somewhat trembling voice turning sweet and smooth. "We're all scared of hurting ourselves or others without realizing it. And in the end, our biggest fear is dealing with the guilt as well as the consequences."

If I didn't know any better, I think she just became a faith healer for that short minute. I managed to squirm away from her hand, feeling a little more uncomfortable as the time passed. "It's still stupid…" I grumbled to myself, crossing my arms. It felt awkward doing it though since my arm was both wrapped in a cast and a sling.

"Aren't all of our fears? Someone who's afraid of heights would think someone who's afraid of spiders had a stupid fear, and vice versa."

"I fear nothing!" My nose was in the air now, the picture perfect face of the stubborn, too good for attitude.

Beatrice laughed-she _laughed_-at me. This was one score she had on me: catching me by surprise. My face fell and I looked at her, confused. When she got her bearings, she patted my head and said, "You say that now, but deep down you do. I'm sure of it."

I rolled my eyes and looked away, staring at the deep indigo flowers in front of us and picking one to look like I was preoccupied with other thoughts. In reality, I was just far more confused. I have no fears. Never have, never will! The "King of the Bar" can't afford to be scared of anything or else I'd lose my title! (Not like Alfred or Gilbert would ever even try to take my title, but still.) But the way she put it, it sounded like I was lying to myself. Do I have some fear deep down I don't know about?

I started to twist the flower between my fingers when the alarm on her watch beeped and brought me back to the real world. She stood up and took the handles of my chair, pushing me back towards the back door of the hospital. "Time to go, Mathias. You don't want to keep your friend waiting, now do you?"

My eyes darted up towards the building as I grinned. I almost forgot Lukas was going to be here again! He had been coming over a lot over the few days. The doctors were so familiar with his name, they started to let him visit me on Sundays when they usually never allowed visitors! I think that was Popescu's doing, but I wasn't too sure.

"I don't." I replied, grinning so much it almost hurt. Maybe now I can have a less confusing day.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Lukas had come on schedule, taking his normal seat in the chair next to my bed while we chatted and occasionally brought up different topics of less interesting conversation. "Why do you think nurses have to wear those skin tight atrocities in the movies?" He asked, looking disgusted at the movie the program automatically put on.

See, that's exactly what I mean. I looked at the remote in my hand blankly. "Um… I dunno. Maybe 'cause some people find it hot?"

Lukas' eyes fell on the remote and he snatched it away, changing the channel. "Can't see why. That must chafe terribly at your skin."

I shrugged and scratched my shoulder, wincing when I realized I reached too far and scratched the wounds from my road rash. "Nothing a lot of lotion can't solve."

He flicked mindlessly through the different channels on TV before settling for Food Network and leaning back in his chair again. He didn't respond for a while, choosing to fiddle with the laces on his shoes. "So how has your head been?" He asked.

I perked up and chuckled. "Better than ever! I can almost open my other eye, see?" I leaned as close to him as possible and closed my other eye, looking through my black eye at him. He recoiled and leaned away, staring wide eyed at me for a good minute or so. He cleared his throat though and looked away.

"That's good, then."

"You kidding? That's great! Squinting the whole time was really getting on my nerves!"

He went back to tying and retying his shoelaces. Honestly, it was starting to bother me how he seemed so spaced out. He didn't really look interested in talking to me at all. I mean… This has been a recurring theme lately, but it's never been _this_ bad! "Do you," He coughed, shoulders hunched. "Remember anything at all?"

He's been asking that a lot too. How many times do I have to tell him no? "Nope. Still nothing. It's like a hollow coconut in here as far as memory goes." Every fiber in my body wanted to ask him why he kept repeating that exact question every day, but I didn't bother to. He looked uncomfortable; far more uncomfortable than me, the guy who was supposed to be injured and recuperating.

Lukas' fingers stopped whisking over and under his shoelaces. His eyes looked like they were staring at his shoes, but to me it looked like he was staring through them. It was really freaky, especially for him. "Well… That's fine, I guess." He looked out the window, his foot falling to the floor. "Nothing really exciting happened anyway."

_If that's the case, why the Hell do you keep asking?!_ If he hadn't worn that sailor suit I loved so much today, I would have asked it as bluntly and rudely as possible. But he looked too adorable right now to deserve that kind of treatment. That loveable douche…

"Okay." I said, looking at my lap. There wasn't really anything to say. Nothing that I could think of, at least. Lukas seemed just as lost for words, his eyes looking at nothing in particular from through the window. I finally got the courage to look at him. He just looked pale; by that, I mean paler than he normally would. The first time I met him, it was the kind of pale that just had the appearance it would be soft to the touch, like velvet. Now he just looked sickly pale, like he hadn't slept in a while. After staring for a little longer, I realized he _did_ have developing under eye rings.

"Have you been sleeping alright, Luke?" I asked, narrowing my eyes to get a better look. "You don't look too good."

He looked back at me and met my eyes. For what felt like half an hour, he stared at me with those dull blue eyes of his. It sent a shiver down my spine to look for too long, but I had to keep staring to give the impression that I wasn't backing down. He finally sighed and closed his eyes, head hitting the wall. "No. Not really."

"Well, why not? Just take some sleep meds and nod off for a little while."

"I've tried that, you stupid Dane." Well, I can't say I'm not happy to hear that old insult again. "None of them work."

"So you should see a doctor." Of all places to say that in, I was saying it here? In a hospital? With doctors bouncing from room to room like marbles on the sidewalk? "I can get one of my doctors to give you advice on a good prescription, if you want."

"Did I not just say they don't work?" He snapped, his eye twitching in his anger. "Besides, it's not that I can't sleep, it's just that I don't want to."

"Well why the Hell not?"

His cool charade fell when I asked that. He just looked like he was crumbling in front of me. I was going out of my mind just watching him and not helping out. But what else could I do? I'm bound to this fucking bed (which, if you get the chance, you should lay in. It's surprisingly comfortable).

Lukas looked everywhere but at me, scanning the bricks of the walls, the tiles, the ceiling even for answers that weren't there. I could just tell that's what he was doing. Normally he'd brush off one of my stupid questions and _then_ not answer. This time he looked like he wanted to answer but didn't know how. If you don't get it, you never will. It's this weird quirk he has, I guess.

"You really don't remember anything?"

"No."

I was just about sick of that question at this point. What right did he have to pester me with something as meaningless as that?

I blinked and he was suddenly standing up and leaving. I started rubbing my eyes much to my displeasure to see him actually heading to the door. "Hey! Wait! Where the Hell are you going?"

He stopped in front of the door, gripping the handle so hard his knuckles turned white. "I'm going home."

"But why?! What did I do wrong this time?"

He just shook his head and looked at the floor. "It's nothing you did... I just have to go."

I could just feel myself getting angrier and confused as he stood there. "Get back over here!" I threw my covers back and planted my feet on the ground, nearly disconnecting the tubes in my arm in the meantime. "We're not done talk-" I stopped mid-sentence and blinked hard. He looked just as confused now.

His face started to blur out of focus and I rubbed my eyes again, teetering over to the side without realizing. "Mathias?" I guessed that was Lukas since he was just standing in front of me not even a few seconds ago. My knees buckled and I fell over, seeing stars where the lights originally were.

"Mathias!" Lukas' cold hands pressed against my neck, checking for a pulse. I was almost certain I was alive, just a little baffled. I tried to open my eyes more to let in more of the world but my eyes were already wide open. Lukas' face wasn't clear in the slightest, a blurred out blob above me rather than the person that was talking to me not even a few minutes ago. "Damn it, why would you do that?!"

I wanted to reply yet couldn't. My tongue felt weighed down, stuck to the bottom of my mouth like plaster. I let out a groan in my attempt to talk and that's when everything went black.

XXXXXXXXXXX

If there was one thing that started to bother me, it was that incessant beeping in the background. _Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep._

_Would someone cut that fucking beeping out?_ But the beeping kept going and going and going. I thought staying inside all day was bound to give me some sort of mental disorder; this beeping just turned out so much worse.

Everything was still black. I couldn't see anything at all. I wanted to open my eyes and see something other than this bland background or to flip a switch and have light flood in, but there was nothing to be found.

"Be glad that Lukas is attached to his hip, Doctor. We would have never known he fell without him."

Lukas… That douche! I'm in this mess because of him! I would have been fine he just sat his ass down in the chair and kept talking to me like we usually did! But nooooo; he just _had_ to leave! What the fuck was that about anyway?!

I groaned in spite of myself, feeling some sort of feeling in my limbs coming back. My left leg moved a little before the right, then my right arm followed by my left arm twitching from inside its cast.

Lukas. Damn that guy. If it weren't for this issue of mine keeping me down, I'd be giving him the rant of a lifetime!

"I think he's coming to, Doctor."

"So it seems." It sounded like Doc Vlad, but I couldn't be too sure. It was a flood of light later that I found myself staring not only at the bright white lights above but the eyes of nurses alike. All of them let out a simultaneous sigh of relief and Doc Vlad-as I predicted-smiled down at me. "Be glad, Mathias. I'm pretty sure Lukas saved your life twice now."

My mind felt a little too hazy to really pick up any of what the Doc was saying, but I was only able to focus on the absence of Lukas. "Lukas…"

"Not here." It was Beatrice again, who was smoothing the hair out of my face comfortingly. "He said he had some business to attend to at home."

_BULLSHIT! I have more business at home to take care of than he does!_ I felt angry but deeper down into another layer was something else I couldn't put my finger on. This feeling that kept my heart beating faster and faster, made my eyes widen slowly yet surely. It made my breathing a little more frantic and my knees and hands shake.

Doc Popescu's smile faded away and he shook his head. "I think he's in shock, Beatrice."

"Don't be ridiculous. He just got his feathers a little ruffled up."

My feathers were ruffled alright. And it wasn't the ruffled feathers like a peacock's either. I wasn't in need of showing off right now; who was there to impress? Then what was making me so anxious?

"I still think he needs to go under for a little while."

"You and your shots…"

"Do you want his 'feathers' to ruffle up more?"

Feathers, feathers, feathers. Who the fuck cares about feathers? They're just there! They could disappear off the face of the Earth and I wouldn't give half a damn! Good riddance!

Disappear…

Lukas wasn't here. He really did pull a magic disappearing act. The minute I fell he was at my side but now he's not. He just packed up shop and left right in front of me too. Like he didn't really care about how I was doing. Was he just there to mock me, because he had nothing better to do?

I blinked and saw the dust motes floating around. They were so clear and so was my mind. I found out what was making me react so badly. My hands balled into fists, my jaw clenched. I could feel my eyes get a little wet and the tear rolling down my cheek. In times like these, I would have said I had something in my eye. But this was too real to hide and lie about. Beatrice noticed and stayed silent, her argument with Doc completely ignored. No other tears followed afterwards but they lingered and hurt like a damn ready to burst.

I know what was wrong with me now.

I was afraid. I was as scared as a new born deer in front of a bear. Beatrice was right about everyone having fears all along! There was no way my fear right now was stupid though.

Lukas was gone and in all actuality, I had no clue whether or not he was mad at me and never wanted to see me again because of something I wasn't aware I did. Lukas, Luke, Norge… He left. Will he come back? Will he not?

But that wasn't what I was afraid of. No; it felt so much simpler than that. From day one, I kept hitting on him and he refused my advances. I knew I wanted him but didn't know why. The night we were outside and saw the shooting star, I made my wish and said I'd wait as long as I had to. The wait just hurts too much! "As long as I have to" feels more like forever! I can't handle that!

Why do I want him though? At first, it was because he was sexy as all get out and I wanted to tap that ass badly. I'll tell myself that much. The days turned to weeks and the weeks turned into what I think is two or three months now and he just intruded my mind more and more. His voice, his eyes, his body in my most perverted dreams… They all just lingered. Just like he did. He was with me almost every step of the way. He may have run away now, but that means nothing. The damage was done.

He puts up with me and that's why I love him.

I felt a needle pierce my arm, my eyes glazing over in my deep thought. I knew what it was all about; why I like him so much, why I love him and most importantly, why I'm still trembling as the medicine took effect.

I'm afraid because I'm in love with him and don't even know if he wants anything to do with me.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Comments and constructive criticism are much appreciated! I apologize for any grammatical or spelling errors! From my computer to yours, this is Wurstlover178, signing off! ¡HASTA LUEGO, MI GENTES!

**Please support Autism Spectrum Disorder research. Thank you. (You don't have to suddenly spend your college savings on a research foundation for Autism, but it's National Autism Awareness Month. I just want to spread the word that this disorder exists and let you guys know that April is Autism Awareness Month. If you're curious, look it up on your own accord. I don't want to be banned from the site for this. Like I said, I'm just a messenger. I know several people with Autism and I'm sure many people elsewhere on FanFiction do too. For the whole month, I will put this exact blurb on all my updates. THANK YOU AND PLEASE DON'T REPORT ME!)**


	15. Roses are Red, Violets are Blue

DA-DUM! *quack quack* *sigh* I'm done… Nobody remembers it. Now my childhood is ruined. :( I can't be the only one that remembers Sitting Ducks! That was like… one of the best shows of my childhood! Come on! There has to be at least one person out there that remembers that old show with the ducks and the alligators and the penguin!

So, quick warning guys… I have a bad feeling this is going to be my last update for another little while. Report cards and bad grades are kinda biting me in the ass here. So if I poof suddenly, please bear with me and this last chapter until I come back.

A shout out to breakfastwithfairies! Dude, you're awesome. You really are yet another huge motivation to me! To learn that people are actually talking about this fic amongst their friends and other fans is like… the ultimate flattery. I feel so freakin' accomplished! By the way, your Tumblr. background is hella sexy (Dat Prussia… *nosebleeds*)

Oh, and um… I think I got my first spam review. :/ I really don't know how to delete it so, uh… Yeah. Please don't do that to me, guys. I get excited seeing people comment on my stories, so when I see it's nothing but spam, it's a real let down.

ANYWHORE! I don't own Hetalia! Review or Russia-san will beat me with his pipe! (lol)

XXXXXXXXXXX

It was a miracle I even slept at all. It may have only been for three hours, but those three hours had to be the most blissful of my entire life. Of course, I didn't want to get up. I was forced to by the insistent tugging of my sweater by small hands.

I opened my eyes and stared at the ceiling for a minute before realizing I fell asleep on the couch. The room was barely lit up between the rising sun and the television that was silently advertising a free trial for sleeping pills, which was really ironic since I can't sleep. Maybe I should try calling.

I rubbed my eyes with a groan and swatted those small hands away. "What do you want, Emil?" Who else could it have been this early in the morning? Both of us seemed to inherit that strange quirk of waking up earlier than a rooster.

Emil and his puffin stared up at me when I sat up, both looking bored. That is, Emil looked bored and Mr. Puffin looked as a bored as a puffin possibly could. "I just wanted you to move over." He said quietly; the rest of the house was still asleep, after all.

At first, I glared at him. _He woke me up for that? _But my rage settled down at seeing the time on the cable box. Seven o'clock is usually when he comes to the living room to watch his cartoons. "Sure." I mumbled, moving my legs out of his usual spot so he could sit. And sit he did. He started flicking through the channels for his favorite daytime network while his puffin made an even worse mess of his hair in an attempt to make a nest. He barely flinched as each clump of hair was tugged in his puffin's beak.

I couldn't believe he could stay so straight faced through the entire event going on in his hair. Even I couldn't help but look away. I wouldn't have been able to sit there and take the abuse his bird was dealing out to his scalp. Emil stopped on his channel and stared blankly at the television screen, watching every commercial with little to no interest whatsoever.

"How long have you been sleeping here?" He asked without looking away from the screen.

"Three hours, give or take." I replied, putting my feet on the floor where they belonged. Emil didn't do so kindly; his feet were propped up on the coffee table, right next to the mug I left there last night. If we weren't brothers, I think I might have disinfected his feet before going to burn the mug. "How long have _you_ been asleep?"

"After dinner until now."

"That's impossible." If he was telling the truth, he was asleep for a solid twelve hours! I would kill to sleep that long at this point! "You really slept that long?"

He nodded and finally turned his head to look at me, Mr. Puffin greatly disturbed from his sleep afterwards. "Why haven't you been sleeping?"

I blinked once and looked at the floor my bare feet rested on. It was a little too complicated to explain to someone as young as him. In fact, I'm almost certain Berwald and Tino wouldn't understand either. But with the whole debacle that followed Mathias kissing me, I couldn't bring myself to really appreciate his company. The time I visited and he fainted just made that situation worse.

I still don't know why I ran away the way I did after that last one, but I felt the need to and followed my instinct. I was pretty sure that if I was there when he woke up, he would have still been angry with me. So I guess my being home while he was in the hospital was for the best of the both of us.

I shrugged. "Just can't. Maybe it's insomnia."

He grimaced, crossing his legs on the couch then. "Please don't use big words."

"Sorry," I said, holding back a chuckle. It wasn't that big a word, but I think Emil has some sort of I'm-always-right complexity. So when he doesn't understand something, he must feel like someone else is right instead of him. "I just can't stay asleep. Is that better?"

He nodded. "But why? Is something bothering you?"

How he puts these things together is beyond me. Was I showing accidental facial expressions again? "No." Biggest lie of my life.

Emil, of course, called my bluff. "You're lying."

I narrowed my eyes at him. _Damn it, why are you able to see through me?! _Sometimes I think our brains were switched as a cruel experiment, what with his all-knowing tendencies and my stubbornness. "No, I'm not."

"Yes you are," He inched closer to me and poked my cheek. "I can tell."

Like I didn't know that already. "You've told me that before."

"So why don't you tell me the truth and avoid this?" If I had known this was going to happen when I woke up, I would have avoided sleeping on the couch entirely! But now, Emil was intent on getting me to spill the beans.

"You really are troublesome…"

"Thank you, Lukie."

We stared at each other's eyes for a minute when I sighed. Mr. Puffin squawked, as if reveling in the victory Emil had over me. "Shut up, you black feathered turkey."

Emil looked like he wanted to snap at me for insulting his precious pet, but kept his face as straight as possible. I wish I hadn't taught him how to do that… "What's wrong with you, Luke?" He pried. I was taken aback by the mature version of my nickname coming out of his mouth but the question lingered in the air as I refused to answer.

What _was_ wrong with me? Mathias didn't remember the accident, so I should be shouting my relief from the rooftops. Instead, I'm sitting here wallowing in guilt and self-hatred! Either I'm a pathetic person or there's some taboo issue that I'm not aware of.

"I'm worried about Mathias." I chose to say. For a minute, I thought it sufficed. Emil seemed pleased with the answer and turned back to his cartoons that had already started.

"Wait," Here we go. "Then why don't you visit him?"

I face palmed myself, elbows on my knees as I sighed again. Is this kid never happy with the answers he gets? "Because I can't."

"Why not?"

_Because if I did, Mathias would probably hate me._ I ran out on him after we kissed, ran off after he fainted, and nearly ran from the whole accident in its entirety… Arthur was still surprised about how I offered the idea of stowing his body in the trunk when we found him! It just seemed easier to run away from the situation rather than face it head on.

Mathias certainly faced it head on. Now he has a concussion. All the more reason to hate me, if you ask me.

Then again, when I was visiting him in the hospital, he was as happy as could be. He got excited by my very presence in the room, for Peter's sake! On one hand, it was aggravating. But in the other, shouldn't that be some form of relief? As long as he's not mad at me or has any memory of anything to be mad at me about, why should I worry?

"I just can't."

"That's not a very good excuse."

It's true. Everything I've said to my own brother was an excuse to avoid talking about my issues. Was my saying Mathias would be mad at me just another excuse to avoid facing my feelings? It seemed very likely.

"Why am I talking to you about my issues anyway?" I asked him, looking up from the floor. He shrugged and stood, his hand on my knee to help him up.

"Because I asked. If I didn't, who else would have?" He stalked off towards the kitchen, leaving me to stare at his retreating figure. Is it just me or is he acting more and more like a philosopher every day?

Maybe having him be friends with Kaoru, the king of questions and rebellion, wasn't such a smart idea.

What he said though left me motionless for a good while. If he hadn't asked me what he did, who else would have? It was all true but so conniving and evil at the same time. He managed to wriggle his way into my head without batting an eyelash! That weasel…

That weasel was my brother though, and I love him dearly.

My head was starting to pound from the mixture of a lack of sleep and irritation. Why can't I figure out what's wrong with my own head?! "Lukie?" Emil's voice called from the other room.

"What's wrong?"

"Where are the sardines?" Mr. Puffin must have been demanding his breakfast right about now. As if in response, the bird in question squawked again, the audible flapping of his wings rousing me from the couch.

"In the cabinet where they always are."

I never got a reply or even a "thank you", but the gratitude must have been there because he tried to get his pet to calm down and keep his mouth shut. He only does that when he feels indebted to something, so I guess I must have gotten on his good side for today.

My cell phone started to ring from the coffee table. The same, dull beeping got annoying quickly, making me roll my eyes and pick it up. Who would be calling this early anyhow? "Hello?"

"May I speak to Lukas Bondevik?" The woman asked. Her voice cracked and she stumbled over her words, like something had frightened her and she was making an effort to avoid it.

I had been on my way to help out Emil if he needed help opening the complicated can when she asked that. "Speaking." I replied. I crossed my arms and stood in the walkway of the kitchen, watching him open the can of sardines for Mr. Puffin in the meantime.

She paused and sighed, sounding relieved. "Thank goodness I reached you! Sorry for calling so early in the morning!"

I shook my head. It was early but that hadn't stopped Emil from waking me up so early. So why bother yell at her about it? "It's alright. I was already awake. May I ask who this is and why you're calling?"

"Oh yes! I forgot about that! I'm calling from Doctor Popescu's office at North Regional Hospital. We're having an issue with a patient here that is connected to you."

I raised an eyebrow despite knowing full well who she was talking about. "What happened to Mathias this time?"

"Um… sir, that's the thing. We don't know." So then why was she calling? "You see… we sort of, maybe, lost him…" The way she was beating around the bush certainly didn't make what she said any more appealing. I automatically stiffened and raised my voice, not even caring about how I possibly disturbed everyone else upstairs.

"What do you mean you lost him?! How do you lose someone with a concussion that's wheelchair bound?!" Emil jumped, giving me a stare caught between trepidation and confusion. Mr. Puffin didn't seem that confused, just agitated.

"Well, that's the thing! We don't think he's gone that far under those circumstances. For all we know, he's wandering around the hospital looking for a bathroom!" She laughed at her own "joke" but I wasn't so easily amused.

"Do you _intend_ on looking for him?" I asked through bared teeth. They were slowly grinding against each other as my rage increased.

"We are, sir! Groundskeepers are searching for him as we speak!"

"So you called to drop this bomb on me and think I'll be held over by that?"

"No, actually." There was a scratching sort of sound rumbling in my ear and I held it away for a second. "The doctor wanted me to call to see if you would actually come and help with the search. He says if you came here, he just might come out of hiding."

"You want me to fish him out of his little hidey hole?" I say "hidey hole" now because that rat just might be hiding in a burrow for all I know.

"Yes. But he wants you to be here because of some 'psychological influence' he thinks you have on him. I don't really know what that's about though…" Obviously, this nurse is new here. She has no freaking clue what she's talking about.

I turned away from the kitchen and walked towards the door, holding the phone to my ear with my shoulder as I grabbed Berwald's car keys. If anyone has to help Mathias out of the mess he's caused this time, it had to be me. But I didn't really need that doctoral push to get me concerned and heading out the door. Something in me just made me worried sick, whether it was that slowly budding yet confused love I have for that idiot or concern for my banking account if he went missing and I ended up paying for the medical care of someone that wasn't even there.

"I'm a friend of his, not his therapist in a box. But I'm on my way."

Her voice picked up and raised an octave, her cheer almost Tino worthy. "Thank goodness! We hope to see you soon!"

"Yeah, yeah…" I grumbled, hanging up and opening the door. Emil can grab himself a pack of Poptarts for breakfast. I say this only because I don't think I'll be home for a while.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Sitting in the waiting room was giving me all sorts of bad memories, all of them just rushing in at the same time with the fury off a typhoon. Yet again, I took up the position of being hunched over in my chair, elbows on my knees and head in my hands. It felt natural, like the first night I sat in this exact same chair and thought about how the chances of Mathias' accident weren't that slim at all.

That made me a little more depressed. "Goddammit…" I muttered to myself, earning the stares of the other person pacing to and fro. I swear, if he kept going back and forth like that, a little ditch would form from the impact of his footfalls.

The receptionist wasn't much help; according to her, Doctor Popescu was helping Doctor Edelstein with a suspected broken nose. God only knows what that's about. So I sat, and sat, and sat… Until finally the receptionist picked up the phone sitting next to her and beckoned me over with a finger. I looked up in time to see it and rushed over as quickly as my feet would carry me.

"Yes?" I asked. I knew this entire thing was about Mathias and his wandering about, but I still felt the need to ask like I had no clue. She looked up at me and hung up, folding her arms across her chest and spinning idly in her chair.

"Doctor Popescu says there was a sighting in the courtyard. He suggested you should check there and continue from there." She said as she spun. Her voice sounded weary and like she was about to pass out any minute.

_You and me both, lady._ "Thank you." I said with a nod. She pointed me in the direction I was supposed to head in and I left. The sooner I found the stupid Dane the better. I was forced to shove my way past janitors-all of whom glared at me in a way that seemed far too suspicious for my liking-as well as nurses and doctors alike. They all seemed to suddenly want to flock in the opposite direction of the way I wanted to go, forcing me back like waves against the sea shore.

"Excuse me… Pardon… Sorry!" I accidentally shouted the last one at a nurse who was helping an elderly man across the hallway on his walker for rehabilitation purposes and tipped the frail person over. It was embarrassing at first, but when he started yelling back at me, it had to be the greatest tip of the day.

"You're just like that hooligan boy on the wheelchair! Wazzit they called 'im? Hm…" He licked his wrinkled, old lips in thought, all while the nurse was leading him away.

"Come on, Mr. Brennigan. Your knee still hurts?"

He smacked her away with his cane that hung off his elbow. "Get your hands off me, woman!" He stared at me and poked my chest with it, looking up due to his hunched back. "That blonde boy that nearly killed me trying to get outside! Kids these days don't know how to respect their elders!" He groaned in pain, the nurse setting him down in a chair close by. The nurse looked at me warily but the old man was pretty pushy about getting her to leave.

I knelt in front of him, trying to get to a position where it looked like I respected him. If he knew anything about this boy that sounded far too much like Mathias, I had to know if he knew anything about his whereabouts! "So, sir, where did this disrespectful boy go?" I asked, my fingers laced together. "I have half a mind to confront him myself."

He smiled his toothless smile at me and nodded. With his cane, he pointed down the hall and started ranting again. "He was mumblin' 'bout flowers and making it up to somebody. Took off like a speed demon on his chair to the back doors, he did!"

I nodded and stood up again. "Thank you, sir. I really appreciate it." As I was about to take my leave, he hooked me back with that damned cane of his and started talking again.

"Y'know, you remind me of this boy I met during the war."

Oh jeez… "I'm sorry, sir. But I can't stay here for long."

"Just sit down a minute and I'll make this quick." When he said that, I couldn't help but get the odd feeling he was a pedophile.

"I can't!" I shouted. The pirouette I did in my attempt to escape was a little more than embarrassing in this public environment, but it did serve me a higher purpose. For that, I'm not going to complain about it. I headed in the direction to old man gave me and took off at a sprint.

With any luck, I'll be able to strangle Mathias for getting me involved in any of this. His reason for running off must have been a Hell of a good one if he caused this much trouble.

The doors the man had been talking about turned out to be emergency exits. I feared for the smallest of seconds that if I pushed through them like they instructed, I would end up setting off an alarm. The idea came and went quickly and I pushed through, not surprised in the slightest when I high pitched beep droned on in the hallway.

The grounds back here looked neater than I expected, being I was behind the hospital now. No one usually cared for what a building looked like behind it; that's why you end up seeing trash and all kinds of random stains on the while amongst the graffiti. The hedges back here framed the walkway leading back around to the front. With nowhere else to go, I stepped off and followed the pavement.

It wasn't long before I found an abandoned wheelchair thrown haphazardly into the bushes. I didn't bother to pull it out since there were probably thorns in that thing, so I kept going. Hopefully he's not that far away. He shouldn't be on his feet anyway, so he should be sitting out somewhere trying to avoid passing out.

The bushes got more and more intricate, some trimmed to fancy shapes and figures, others with blooming flowers. While passing by one particular hedge, its flowers caught my eye. I mean, could you blame me? They were probably the most flamboyant ones there. Bright red and at full bloom, they were a little hard to miss unless you were blind. Their petals were spiky, long and almost protruding from their stems, beckoning nonexistent bees to it.

I stopped and stared for a while. The red, show off-y style they had reminded me quite a bit of Mathias. Why I had to relate the flowers to him, I don't know. But I did, and once I did, I couldn't get rid of the thought. They just called to me like he would, except without a loud "LUKAS" in their attempt to get my attention. I was glad they didn't too.

Before I knew it, I found myself plucking one from the bush and twirling it around in my fingers. I knew I had to keep going and look for the Dane I suddenly couldn't stop thinking about, but now those thoughts kept me stationary where I stood. I still shivered from the chilly air outside, but the flower's fiery red hue kept me warm.

It was like Mathias in himself in more ways than one. He grabbed your attention, pulled you in and once you were in his grasp, you couldn't leave. He was that warm personality you needed when you were down, that made you live life to your fullest in spite of the situation.

Maybe that's why I ran. I didn't want to face that warmth when I knew I deserved the chill of hatred and disappointment. I was being a downer but it was true. I thought that when I walked into his room that first day, he would have been scowling and ranting about his disgust with me.

"I'm a masochist…" I said to the flower, spinning it around and around between my fingers. It danced, spun and bended to my will. Mathias would do anything for me, like this flower bent at the will and force of my fingers. He would spin out of control in a car and push me out before falling off a cliff by himself if the chance arose, that much I was certain.

And I love him for that. I sighed and started walking away from the bush, still staring at the flower. I'm in love with Mathias because he makes me live to the fullest, whether I want to or not. He's that force that drives me to be a kid again and take a few risks, that person that attracts all the attention when I didn't want it and kept it on him for as long as humanly possible.

The last trait could get annoying, but so long as he was deterring the attention away from me, I think I can manage.

He had some obvious feelings for me, but was I able to return them?

"That's the million dollar question…" I don't know why I say this so often, but if I say it one more time, I think I'm going to hate that metaphor.

The end of the walkway was coming closer and closer with every step I took. Benches and more bushes with flowers came into view. I was in front of the hospital again, staring at the entrance and the office windows above. There was only one man sitting at the one of the benches, facing a bush with indigo flowers and looking like he was staring intently at it.

I wanted to ask him what he was doing there, but couldn't force myself to. Why should I ask a stranger something so personal? As I came closer to the entrance, my footsteps wavered and I found myself heading towards the man who I now knew was in a black overcoat. He didn't acknowledge the sound of me approaching nor did he look over when I tapped his shoulder. He just sighed and asked, "What?"

I didn't even know what I wanted to ask for a minute, realizing just as quickly why I came over. "I'm sorry to bother you. But…" I swallowed the lump in my throat and continued. "Have you seen a man with a weird walk around here? Blonde, kind of stumbling around, a bit loud of mouth."

The man was in the middle of a deep inhale when he stopped, his breath hitching. Suddenly, I was left staring at those eyes I grew to love, those energetic blue eyes staring into my dull old ones. The excitement in those eyes grew quickly to the point where he stood and threw his arms around me. "LUKAS!" And this is what I meant about him shouting my name to get my attention.

I didn't hug him back since I still had an image to uphold, but his grip got tighter and tighter. I almost couldn't breathe. "Mathias!" I choked out. "Let go!" Eventually I shoved him away a good distance, making him fall into the bench in the process.

"Lukas, you have no idea how happy I am to see you!" His voice cracked, like he hadn't used it in days and was getting used to it again. I smirked at him when he looked a little embarrassed but remained as composed as possible.

"I thought you would have…"

"Where have you been? I haven't seen you in days!"

I flinched. Oh, so he remembers that much? With a sharp exhale, I scratched the back of my head. "You know, thinking, taking care of Emil… The usual."

Mathias raised an eyebrow at me though, his happier demeanor gone. "Thinking? About what?"

Instinctively, I blushed, pulling my hand back to smack him. When he cowered and tried to cover himself from the blow he thought he would receive, I remembered he had a concussion and held back. "None of your business."

He looked up at me again and, upon seeing he was safe, grinned. "But I wanna know! If it kept you away for that long, it must have been important?"

How do I break something as heavy as "I love you" to a person who probably doesn't even know how to gift someone on Valentine's Day with something other than sex? He patted the spot next to him and I reluctantly sat down. Do I tell him how I feel, or do I just keep following the "Just Friends" basis we established?

I decided to go with the latter. "I just didn't understand something about you."

"And that would be?"

I looked up at him and asked him the question that had bothered me for days. "Why aren't you mad at me? I'm the reason you're in this mess."

He blinked, stunned. While glancing down at his boots, he replied, this time softly. "'Cause I don't remember if I should be mad at you for anything. Why blame you for something I don't even know happened?"

His answer seemed logical enough, but I had to keep prying. It just didn't do it for me. "But now that I'm telling you I caused this," I motioned to the layer of bandages still holding down his hair. "Are you angry with me at all?"

He stared at my hand for a second then my eyes. "Not really." He said with a shake of the head. "I can't change how I felt when I woke up. I don't even know how you could have caused this in the first place."

"You don't?" How could he have forgotten the video of our karaoke disaster? He left my house a long time before the accident. "Not even the video?"

He perked up and laughed. "We watched a video? Awesome! Was it porn?"

Of course he would. Of course that would be his first thought! What is wrong with this prick?! "You're lucky I can't slap you right now."

His smile hadn't fallen when I said that, just kept staring at me. "So are you mad at _me_ for anything?"

"Other than that porn assumption of yours, no. Why would I?"

His smile didn't change but the look in his eyes did. They went from mischievous and hyper to relaxed and what looked to be relieved. "I could have asked you the same thing."

I nodded slowly, looking down at the flower in my hands. I had almost forgotten about it during the conversation, but its color brought me back. Mathias looked down at it as I did, snickering. "I didn't know you liked flowers."

His words sounded like an insult, but the tone was simply curious. That was the only reason I didn't glare at him when I said, "I don't. It just… reminded me of something." Like I'd tell him it reminded me of him…

He snickered still, reaching behind me and picking a flower off the bush. "These flowers reminded me of you, y'know? I stared at these for hours on end just thinking about where you could possibly be."

Looking at the flower now in front of me, I didn't know whether to feel flattered or anxious. He told me his dirty little floral secret. Why can't I tell him mine? I held up the flower in my hands to him and looked away, worried that I was blushing while I did. I couldn't really feel the burning sensation of my cheeks like you normally would, but I didn't want to take any chances. "You."

His smile and arm fell, the flower going down with it. His mouth was open slightly, a dumbfounded expression taking its place. "What?"

And there was the blush I was afraid of. It wasn't serious but I knew he would have noticed if I faced him. "These flowers reminded me of… you. That's what I said."

The silence between us was interrupted only by the hum of the hospital generator and the sound if cars pulling out of the parking lot nearby. None of us talked for a few minutes, letting the words hang in the air instead. When I finally forced myself to look at him, he had the dopiest smile I could have ever imagined.

"Aw. That's nice of you, Luke."

"Who said you could call me Luke again?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

"I did!" He pointed to himself with his thumb and laughed before wiping his eyes and looking at the red flower in my hand. "So… I'm guessing these things are peace offerings?"

I never thought of it that way. But now that he mentioned it, I think they were. At first, I thought this was more romantic than anything, but what are going to do? He's Mathias and I'm Lukas. Our brains work differently.

"I suppose." I mumbled, looking at the one Mathias held. For a second, I wanted to reach out and take it and shove the one in my hand into his. But he beat me to the punch by holding out his hand.

"So let's shake on it! We'll make the peace treaty later!"

Peace treaties weren't necessary. I was at peace enough for now. Mathias wasn't upset with me, I wasn't upset with him and things were turning out better than I had expected. Of course, he's still considered a missing patient and might have caused more trouble than was necessary to get here, but we were there nonetheless.

We exchanged flowers quickly and I grabbed his hand. He shook mine fervently, so fast that my arm was doing more of the shaking than my hand. "So! Friends?"

Hearing the word "friends" was a letdown. But when you realize you love the person in front of you, I guess everything other than a romantic relationship is. We were still friends at least. This was how he wanted it to be for a while now. So I guess until he makes the initiative, romance could wait until later.

"Friends."

Mathias then let out the biggest victorious cheer I had ever heard.

"Oh, wait…" Mathias's arms fell to his sides again. "Edelstein's not still mad at me is he?"

I raised an eyebrow as I stood up. I had to tell the receptionist or one the doctor's I had found Mathias before things escalated too quickly. "I don't know. Why?"

"I kidna broke his nose when he tried to give me a shot to calm me down last night… It just kinda happened."

So that's what caused his injury. Why am I not surprised?

_Stupid Dane…_ He may be a stupid Dane, but he's my stupid Dane. Whether we're together or not, I know this for sure.

XXXXXXXXXXX

WOOT! Hope you guys enjoyed! I'm worried this will be my last update for a little while, so I tried to make it my best and most heart tugging! I listened to "Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol while writing this. I ran into a DenNor video for it and I cried halfway through writing this and listening to it. :'D By the way, don't think just 'cause of the title that those flowers they handed each other were roses and violets. Mathias' probably is, but I imagined Lukas' to be red daisies. X3 ANYWAY! Comments and constructive criticism are much appreciated! I apologize for any grammatical or spelling errors! From my computer to yours, this is Wurstlover178, signing off! ¡HASTA LUEGO, MI GENTES!

**Please support Autism Spectrum Disorder research. Thank you. (You don't have to suddenly spend your college savings on a research foundation for Autism, but it's National Autism Awareness Month. I just want to spread the word that this disorder exists and let you guys know that April is Autism Awareness Month. If you're curious, look it up on your own accord. I don't want to be banned from the site for this. Like I said, I'm just a messenger. I know several people with Autism and I'm sure many people elsewhere on FanFiction do too. For the whole month, I will put this exact blurb on all my updates. THANK YOU AND PLEASE DON'T REPORT ME!)**


	16. Confusion Blooms Like Lilacs

ALRIGHT GUYS! Looks like I'll be able to update for a little while longer! You should thank your lucky stars for that! I know I am. *shot* OTL I just wanna make this known. When I put "I appreciate constructive criticism" at the end of my chappies, I MEAN IT! You don't have to feel shy about it, but if anything, keep it to a minimum. There's a thin line between that and flaming in the real world, y'know?

ANYWHORE! I don't own Hetalia! Review or Russia-san will beat me with his pipe! (lol)

XXXXXXXXXXX

"Oh yeah… Luke, that feels great…"

He grunted in response and continued, not even bothering to acknowledge my compliment fully. Ah well, so long as he heard it!

"God… I think I see heaven." I sighed and relaxed, tensing up when his hands got a little too low for comfort. "Go up a little more. You lost it."

"I'm not your slave!" His hands said differently though; he went back up like I told him to.

"Up, up, up- AH YEAH! There! Haaaaaa…" I could feel his eyes glaring at me but I didn't really care. This felt too great to interrupt. "Right there."

And then, almost as soon as it started to feel great again, it started to burn beyond belief. I instantly stiffened and squirmed away. "HOLY FUCK! WARN ME NEXT TIME, WOULD YA?!"

"Doctor Popescu said if I don't apply this ointment on your wounds daily, you'll get gangrene. So shut your mouth and deal with it."

I started grumbling to myself and hit my forehead on the arm of the couch. Lukas was still getting that damned ointment as far into my gashes as possible as I remembered exactly what Doc Popescu said.

_"Make sure you use this ointment! Oh! And don't forget to stay off your feet for another week! Come see me after that to get cleared!"_

Yep, I was still bound to that wheelchair. My worst enemy had followed me home without my permission. I started to hit my head on the couch lightly. If it hadn't for the free backrubs from my favorite person-a.k.a. Lukas-and all the free stuff I got from all my friends, I would have flipped shit _days_ ago. I don't know why, but Lukas cold hands were a real comfort to me; really eased my nerves and such.

That's probably because I was imagining dirty things while he was doing that though. I grinned and looked back at him, watching him dab the excess off my back. Last time he did this, I was lying awkwardly on my stomach for about twenty minutes, pretty much only hiding my boner by lying on top of it. That was uncomfortable, let me tell you. I was so glad he left after that had happened since it gave me time to jerk off while he was out doing some grocery shopping for me.

Lukas had decided to take it upon himself to move in for a week until I was cleared by the doc. I thought it was a great idea, so I didn't fight it.

"Why do you have to ruin this awesome experience with that crappy cream?" I asked, holding myself up with my elbows, one of which was stuck in the bent position anyway. "I bet there hasn't even been much of an improvement."

He shook his head and threw a glare my way. "It hasn't but if we keep this up, it will."

_That's what they always say. _I grumbled to myself and laid my chin on the couch. Getting these backrubs wasn't half bad; it was just the pain I couldn't deal with. I was never really against sadomasochism, but I never really tried it either. This was starting to give me opposing ideas of it though.

"How much longer do we have to do this?"

"Until we run out."

I sighed. "That'll take forever!"

"The longer the treatment, the better the results."

If only I had thought that was true. I flipped over and stared at him, catching him a little off guard. "But you can't say that if I was doing this for you that you wouldn't complain too."

He blinked and shrugged, screwing the cap back onto the lid of that damned ointment. "Some pain makes me sure I'm still alive." He knelt down to pick up the shirt I discarded on the floor and handed it to me. "You should be glad you can still feel your back after what you've been through."

I clutched my shirt to my chest, watching him walk off to the next room over. "But it totally sucks! You would complain, I know it!"

"Whatever. Just put your shirt on." He called back. I could hear him opening the fridge from here. With the way I was being taken care of, he really was like a little housewife. A little, adorable, moody, fuckable housewife.

I grinned and slipped my shirt on over my head, which proved to be a little difficult. The wheelchair sat folded up next to me but I refused to use that. I was in my own house, damn it! Why should I be forced to wheel myself around when I feel just fine? So I stood up and hobbled over to the kitchen. I'll admit, my head did feel a little foggy. But that was only temporary so I didn't worry about it.

When I entered the kitchen, Lukas was sitting on the counter eating a sandwich while staring at the table in front of him. I raised an eyebrow at him. "Uh… Why are you sitting up there?"

He jumped like he didn't notice my walking in and looked at his feet. I wasn't really sure, but I thought he was blushing. "Because I felt like it."

The Hell was that about? I didn't say anything about the blush he obviously had on his cheeks but I certainly did about the sandwich he was eating. "HEY! That's my sandwich!"

He took another bite, finally looking up at me defiantly. "I made it."

"Yeah, made it for me!"

"I still made it. I'm entitled to eat my own culinary creations, aren't I?" His eyes wandered to my legs, a scrutinizing glare forming quickly. "You should be in your wheelchair."

Damn him and his ability to avoid the subject at hand! "I'm just standing, Luke! Sheesh, you act like I killed a man!"

"You'll kill _yourself_ if you don't sit down."

I rolled my eyes with a groan and pulled out the chair next to me. With a pout I'm sure he could _never_ even dream of resisting, I sat down and crossed my arms. "There? Happy now?"

He nodded and got off of the counter to dig through the opened fridge some more. "Very." I stared at him rummaging through all my food, unable to stop my eyes from roaming across his body. Come on, with the way he was bent over, you would have too! I ended up staring at his ass for a few seconds before he stood straight again and I snapped out of it. Dat ass… If we weren't only friends, I would jump him in a heartbeat.

He glanced back at me and I tried to look as innocent as possible. Apparently, it didn't work. "What were you doing?"

I looked down at him, tearing my eyes off the ceiling and pointing to myself. "Me?"

His shoulders slumped, his eyes narrowing at me. "No. The grass. Yes, you, you dunce!"

Heh, dunce. Who says "dunce" anymore? I just shrugged and continued to let my eyes wander around the room. I had to word this carefully after all; one wrong word and I'll be in the hospital again for brain damage. "Oh, nothing special…" I said, smirking a little.

He didn't look too convinced. "Wipe that smug look off your face and I might believe you."

"What smug look?" I looked him in the eye and held up my casted arm, trying to do the Boy Scout salute to show I was telling the truth. "I wasn't doing anything special. Scout's honor!"

He stopped in the middle of chewing his sandwich to scrutinize me with his eyes. Let me tell you, that's not the kind of stare I want being put on me, especially not from him. When I passed his "inspection", he turned back around and grabbed some milk from the fridge. "It better stay that way."

Thank God I dodged that bullet! I laid back in my chair, my head rolling back and staring at the ceiling again. I was comfortable that way, perfectly content with laying there with my hands on my stomach and daydreaming. I even got to put my feet up on the table and really stretch out. But of course, Lukas just _had_ to break the peace. He held back a hiccup before saying, "By the way Mathias, I took the liberty of folding your clothes since you apparently suck at it."

"Wait," I picked my head up and looked at him. "You mean my folding skills are so bad, you had to come in and fold them for me?"

"Exactly."

Even I was surprised when I started to snicker about it, trying to muffle the sounds of it by covering my mouth with my good hand. The need to say what was on my mind became unbearable though. "You're like a housewife that folds her husband's clothes!"

The flush that tainted his cheeks was so adorable, I ended up throwing my head back and laughing so loud, it echoed through the house. He was actually embarrassed by what I said! That's just priceless! If I had known it was that easy to get him flustered, I would have done it a long time ago!

"Well excuse me for cleaning up after you!" He snapped. My laughter died down a little but I kept grinning at him. He didn't return the favor; just carried on complaining and carrying on while pointing at me accusingly. "You're a slob! You just might be the least organized person I know!"

"Hey, c'mon," My snickers slipped occasionally while I talked but I kept calm well enough. "There's a system to my madness!"

"If madness means throwing your used shirts and jeans around randomly with no regard for laundry baskets whatsoever, I have no idea what system that could be!"

"It's called the 'Mathias-don't-give-a-crap-'cause-they're-all-dirt y-once-they-hit-the-ground' system! Anything on the floor, I know I should wash. Simple as that."

"What if you dropped something by accident?"

A fly buzzed in my face and I smacked it with my cast. The poor thing must have been thwacked pretty hard. I think I lost it afterwards. "Wash it anyway."

"What if that was the last article of clothing you had?"

"I'd wash it, of course."

"What if you had no time?"

"I'd _make_ time."

Lukas rolled his eyes and groaned with disgust, like he was giving up and realized the argument was pointless. Which it kind of was. If he decided to move in for the week, he had to conform to me, not the other way around. The fly came back and I smacked it again, watching it hit the table and twitching for a while. "I bet you have weird habits too." I said, deeming the fly dead for now. I put my feet down on the floor. "Even you can't escape that fact!"

"A person's own habits aren't considered as weird unless some other person says they are. Even if I do have one, I wouldn't think of it as weird."

Damn, he's right. What's a habit I know of that's really weird? The first one that came to mind was his little "adventure" from yesterday. I had woken up expecting him to be there and ready to give me another massage in a few minutes, but instead he was gone! GONE, I tell you! It was around two o'clock when he came back and I asked him where the fuck he went. According to him, he always took these five or six hour long walks on Sundays. I was never more confused in my life. I work out and all, but in the comfort of my own home! You'd think that if you walk for that long, you should walk like that all week, not just on Sundays.

"I've never heard of a person taking a walk for as long as you do on Sundays." I pointed at him, turning in my seat to face him. "Isn't Sunday supposed to be a… what's it called… day of rest? You had me worried sick, y'know? I thought you got kidnapped!"

If Lukas' face wasn't serious before, it really was now. He deadpanned, saying with a bit more bite than usual, "Søndagstur is a Norwegian custom, for your information. It may a habit, but it's also part of my upbringing."*

Crap, did I just insult him? I couldn't be too sure, what with him looking exactly as he had a few moments earlier. How can I tell he's mad at me without so little as an eye twitch? "Oh… My bad, I guess." I scratched the back of my head, keeping my eyes on the floor to avoid looking at what must have been an aggravated face.

But when I finally did look up, he was smirking at me. "That proves I don't have any weird habits, now doesn't it?"

I blinked and thought about it for a minute. Was there anything else I wasn't aware of? After a minute of thinking it over, I came up fruitless. There has to be _something_ he does that is unsavory! Then again, I think it would take a lot for me to say something he does is unsavory.

Damn that adorable jackass. "I guess not…" I said, knowing full well I lost this argument. When he suddenly started to chuckle softly, I stopped and stared. And it wasn't in a horny way either. His laugh was just something to behold, something that was just as adorable as the rest of him.

_Keep it together, Mathias. We're just friends._ I reassured myself of this even it didn't really help. I knew I was supposed to keep my thoughts on an innocently friendly level, but everything he did seemed to send my mind into the gutter. His chuckling right now didn't make the situation any better. If I were to comment on how his laugh was cute, that would sound too romantic for anyone's comfort. It was hard enough to get him to accept me as a friend, so why would I jeopardize it by saying something like that?

That little reminder kept my emotions at bay for a bit, long enough for Lukas to settle down and look at me again. "So the 'awesome' cripple finally admits defeat."

I grinned and stood even though he gave me a disappointed look. "Hey, don't push it, Bondevik!" I poked his chest for good measure, laughing at how ridiculous the whole thing was.

"I could tell you the same, Køhler." He smacked my hand away but in a way that wasn't meant to be harsh. I was able to feel our friendship growing without even trying. It was amazing, to say the least! And to think that he slapped me across the face and threw insult after insult at me the first day we met! What a turn around.

Maybe Lukas was actually starting to see me more as a friend than a pain in his ass. The thought made me grin wider than before.

"That's my name! Don't wear it out!"

He rolled his eyes and took a deep breath. When he stopped short, his face twisted in disgust, I thought he breathed in the fly I thought I killed earlier and was choking. Just as I was starting to freak out and was about to give him the Heimlich maneuver, he looked away and spoke up.

"My God, Mathias. You reek."

I pursed my lips after hearing that. I thought I was blunt about these things! I looked down at myself, confused. Did I really smell that bad? I couldn't remember when my last shower was, but it couldn't have been that long ago!

Could it?

I sniffed my armpit-not too discretely, mind you-and recoiled. "Damn! You're right!" He made a little disgusted noise and pushed me away.

"Seems like the hospital didn't cover hygiene very well."

I would have said it wasn't true, but the one time that nurse came in and sponged off the grime on my body in very few areas, I couldn't argue that fact. I had shooed her away since it was awkward anyway, so there's that. "I need a shower. Stat."

"You're telling me…"

Okay. He was taking this "Mathias Smells" thing too far. "How do I cover this thing anyway?" I asked, pointing to my cast. The question bothered me the first time I looked at it, but now this was personal!

He stared at it, tapping his foot in thought when he turned around and got some duct tape from the drawer behind him. "Do you have any plastic wrap in this place?"

I nodded. "In the cabinet under the sink."

I thought I heard him mumbling "That's a weird place to put plastic wrap" as he left, but I ignored it. So long as I was going to get results, I didn't really care what he was saying about me behind my back. As he tore the plastic wrap out from the box, I could see he had trouble with tearing off a proper piece. As much as I wanted to help, I'm still a cripple. So what help could I possibly be with my limited movement?

When he came back, he immediately got to work and covered my arm as much as possible. The roll of duct tape was being held between his teeth, his face contorting with all the concentration he was putting into protecting my cast. I had to mentally slap myself for thinking his focus on the problem at hand was cute.

"What's the tape for?" I asked.

He glanced up at me then back down at my cast, patting it down firmly to cover certain areas better. Spitting out the tape, he pulled it back and stuck it around the edge of the cast near my shoulder. "That. It's to prevent any water from seeping in."

"Oh…" I was still sort of confused but I left the answer as it was; I didn't want his presumption that I was an idiot to stick. He put another layer of tape over the current one, smiling as he stepped back and looked at his accomplishment.

"There. That takes care of it."

"Sweet! So I can shower now?"

"That would be advisable."

"Thanks!" I rushed out of the room, already attempting to pull my shirt off as I headed to the stairs. "You're awesome, Luke!" The lack of enthusiasm in his barely audible grunt of acceptance didn't distract me at all. I was already half way up the stairs when I started to run into trouble.

"Wait…" I struggled to get a good hold of my shirt sleeve and pull my cast through, but since I couldn't bend it, I was left with my shoulder pressing a little closer to my face than I would have liked. I tried to pull my head out and work my shirt off that way, but because of my shoulder, I couldn't do much. "Fuck." I need help. And so I went back downstairs to the kitchen, just hoping Lukas wouldn't start mocking me for my stupidity and inability to do the simplest of things.

"Uh… Lukas?" I asked, my arm starting to get tingly from the lack of blood circulation. He sighed and looked back at me as he put the duct tape away.

"What now?"

I tried to shimmy my way out of my shirt but failed anyway. My arm was really stuck now, unable to bend to accommodate to my needs. I almost forgot this would happen; I was starting to think putting the shirt on was a lot easier than this. "I'm stuck." I should have guessed this would happen; if it was hard enough getting it on, it was going to be twice as hard to get it off.

I really am a dunce.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Did Mathias just say he was stuck? Stuck in what? All he did was run out of the room! What could he have possibly gotten stuck in? I shut the drawer in front of me after depositing the duct tape and turned to him. Initially, I wanted to laugh. His bad arm wasn't even a quarter of the way through his sleeve while half of his face was covered by the collar of his shirt. From the looks of it, he had tried to pull off his shirt that way and didn't know how to get out of the situation he put himself in.

He's so hopeless. "So…" I trailed off. I could always help him out, but it wouldn't have been as fun. His one visible eye blinked, looking down at his collar and trailing to his stuck arm. I'm not sure what made him do it, but he let out a determined growl and spun around, looking like a shark thrashing it's dinner around as he tried to shimmy out of it. I scoffed and nearly lost control of myself when he banged his knee on the table and cursed loudly, hobbling over to the nearest chair and giving up.

"Mind helpin' a guy out, Luke?" He asked in a low voice that oozed defeat. It was the little things like that that made me smile, but just slightly; the last thing I needed was for him to realize I was laughing and lose the sense of humility.

To keep up appearances, I rolled my eyes and sighed. "Fine. Since you can't even do that." I stepped up to him and grabbed his collar. "Now bring your head in." He did so, his eye and hair disappearing like a turtle hiding in its shell. At the same time, I was shoving his good arm into his sleeve to join his head inside his shirt. After that was done, I pulled up, his face showing again while I pulled it off from around his cast.

Finally, he was free from his confines and grinning. "Thanks Luke!"

I threw the shirt over my shoulder and shrugged, my eyes shut. "No problem." When I opened my eyes again and looked at him, I was honestly awestruck. I remember feeling hid abs through his coat a while ago and being mesmerized by it but seeing it in person was a lot more intoxicating. The dull outline I felt was nothing compared to the actual chiseled shape they had. Unlike those washboard abs you see on Hollister models all the time, they were realistic, not completely perfect and not so covered in shiny oil. But it was the fact that they weren't perfect and looked like they had a certain softness to them that made them godly in my book. Call it cliché but Mathias' entire midsection couldn't be described as anything else.

I gulped and looked down at my feet, trying to control my mind from running rampant with explicit thoughts. Mathias was surprisingly silent too but soon ruined the quiet atmosphere. "I'll be leaving now." He stood, but reached for his belt simultaneously. He pulled it off and threw it onto the floor, reaching for the button of is jeans at almost the exact same time.

_Why did he wear jeans anyway? Wouldn't it have been more convenient to wear sweats?_ I shook the thought away; sweats are tacky when you have guests in your house. It just makes you look like you didn't give a damn about yourself and your dignity. He was in the living room when I rushed to him and grabbed his shoulder.

"Wait. You still need help, right?"

He glanced back at me, eyes slightly widened. "Eh… With what, exactly?"

Crap, I must have sounded strange just then. That was the only explanation for the look of insanity he gave me. I huffed and forced him to turn around. "Your pants, idiot. You're having trouble with it, aren't you?"

He blinked, looking at everything but me. "Uh… Yeah. I can't get the button undone." His voice got lower, almost to a whisper. I wasn't sure if he was embarrassed or uncomfortable with the way I was asking him this. I figured it was the latter since he was never embarrassed or insecure about anything.

"Then let me h-help." Damn, I was even tripping over my words! How could I be so weak? All I was doing was helping him out of his clothes.

Which just happens to be one of things haunting my subconscious. How do I get myself into these situations?

I tried to keep my hands as steady as possible while reaching out to him. Of course, it didn't work; my hands shook with the fury of an earthquake, aiming for all the wrong places. My fingers accidentally grazed his abs before redirecting themselves to where they were supposed to be. Mathias stiffened with each touch, like he wanted to run away from this moment that was embarrassing for the both of us.

What felt like hours of standing there and staring at his body that was so close yet so far passed by slowly, torturing my head with ideas zipping along. My mind's eye was going crazy with things that could happen, things that were just one simple act away.

If I just popped open this button… _Just pop it open and lose your sexual frustrations._

I had to stop myself from shaking my head in front of him; doing so would show I was stopping myself from thinking something, and that would raise questions on what that could be. With a silent exhale, I looked down and undid that accursed button.

The deed done, I backed up a good foot away. To my surprise, Mathias did too, his hand running through his somewhat greasy hair, staring at the floor with wide eyes. "I'm gonna take that shower now, 'kay?" He put on his best grin and sidestepped towards the flight of stairs.

I nodded, never taking my eyes off of my feet. This heat in my lower stomach and the pounding in my ears was too much for my senses to handle. "You do that."

"Thanks Luke!" He shouted as he tripped his way up each and every step.

I shook my head now that he was out of sight, mumbling, "What are friends for?" It wasn't really supposed to be aimed at him; it was more of a reminder to myself. We're only friends, so I shouldn't be imagining all the things we could do to each other if the opportunity showed itself.

When he's done doing what he's doing, I'm going to take a long shower and drown this heated body of mine in cold water.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Holy fuck, what was that?!

I slammed the door behind me as soon as I got into the bathroom. My heart just kept beating like the drum the Energizer Bunny plays, my dick starting to hurt from being trapped in my jeans. Lukas undoing the button for me helped a little, but now it was a red flag reminding me of how close he was to me. Had he dawdled for another second, I think I would have jumped him and fucked his brains out on the couch!

But we're just friends! How can I think of doing these things to a friend?! I certainly would never think of these tihngs over Alfred or Gilbert, so what made Lukas different?

The fact that he's a fox and has sweet curves and a nice ass…

"Fuuuuuuuck…" I groaned, reaching for the knob for cold water in my shower. Just as I was about to grasp it and turn, I stopped myself. I'm in my own house after all. I can always jerk off for a little bit in a hot shower.

But Lukas was downstairs; fapping while he was here was a death sentence just waiting to happen. "Damn it!" I growled through bared teeth. I could feel my cock twitch in my pants as the minutes ticked away. Should I or shouldn't I?

I glared up at the showerhead, a little drop of water hitting my face. It only accentuated how I was burning up even with my lack of clothes. "I hate you so much…"

I could never mean that about Lukas. He was a ticked off angel in my eyes, perfect in every way and just begging for me to fuck him to no tomorrow and make him scream my name and- "Stop it, Mathias! You're thinking too hard!" If Luke heard that just now, he must think I'm sick in the head.

I hate my vivid imagination so much.

I switched over to the other knob and turned the hot water on all the way. Fuck the fact that Lukas is here! A man has his needs, and masturbating is one them! You have no idea how happy I was to get out of those pants when I did.

XXXXXXXXXXX

*Søndagstur- This is a relatively new Sunday tradition, which translates into "Sunday Trip". Some people take to the great outdoors and go hiking with family, friends or simply by themselves. Many of them go up to the mountains and see how quickly they can get up there, just to spend the whole day relaxing and enjoying the view, and then they rush back home. Despite the religious tradition of Sunday being the Sabbath, churches are sometimes built in the mountains so Norwegians can worship without giving up their sporty Sunday lifestyle.

Okay. That's my new headcanon for Norway. XD Norway likes his Søndagstur so he can go to the woods and visit his fairy friends!

HA HA! Tease. I feel like a total tease to you guys right now! XD IDK why, but I got major feels while listening to "I'm Like A Lawyer With The Way I'm Always Trying To Get You Off" and then I gave birth to this chapter. :/ Yes. I gave birth to this chapter. Don't be hatin', bro.

So, I'm gonna try to upload two more chapters before Monday. If I don't, then be scared. Report cards are coming soon and I think by Monday or Tuesday, my laptop will be taken away again…

Comments and constructive criticism are much appreciated! I apologize for any grammatical or spelling errors! From my computer to yours, this is Wurstlover178, signing off! ¡HASTA LUEGO, MI GENTES!

**Please support Autism Spectrum Disorder research. Thank you. (You don't have to suddenly spend your college savings on a research foundation for Autism, but it's National Autism Awareness Month. I just want to spread the word that this disorder exists and let you guys know that April is Autism Awareness Month. If you're curious, look it up on your own accord. I don't want to be banned from the site for this. Like I said, I'm just a messenger. I know several people with Autism and I'm sure many people elsewhere on FanFiction do too. For the whole month, I will put this exact blurb on all my updates. THANK YOU AND PLEASE DON'T REPORT ME!)**


	17. Wins and Losses Smell Like Lavenders

WELP! I'm back! Enjoy the chappie! I don't own Hetalia or its characters!

XXXXXXXXXXX

When Mathias came downstairs fully clothed, I was more relieved than ever before. If I had to face another half-naked Dane in one day, I was going to kill myself. He made a big to-do about entering the living room in the loudest way possible, which irritated me beyond compare. He sounded like he was stomping around the house rather than walking and screaming at the top his lungs rather than talking. But so long as he blocked out Terrie in that terrible smoking commercial, I wasn't going to kill him.

Yet.

He grinned at me before making his way to the kitchen and making even more noise, to which I turned up the volume. Unfortunately for me, Terrie was still on the air, so that left me with having to listen to both Mathias' bullshit and her raspy voice.

_Just what I needed._ I sighed and hugged the pillow I had closer to my chest. It was times like these that I hated everything he did. Either he was trying to make a show out of looking for food or he was trying to distract the both of us from something. With his personality, I'd say he was just trying to be ostentatious.

I blinked as Terrie finally went away but left the Viagra commercial with the man and the sailboat in her wake. Male enhancement always made me sick to my stomach. It's one thing if you have erectile dysfunction at an old age, but it's another thing when you're twenty-three and taking it just to impress your girlfriend or boyfriend or whatever.

_Mathias doesn't take male enhancement, does he?_ Once the thought was there, I couldn't help but glance in the direction of the kitchen. He's showy, but not that much. Then again, maybe it's a way to compensate for being obnoxious, just so he could say, "Hey! I have a big dick! You gotta love me now!"

Why was I thinking about this? I had no clue.

I buried my face into the pillow with a groan and fell sideways onto the cushions. When was I going to stop thinking of him in that light? I should be more concerned with keeping my sanity intact, not worrying about my feelings for him. It wasn't like my life depended on him or anything, so why couldn't I go five minutes without thinking of him?

"Fuck my life…" My grumbling came out muffled, thanks to the pillow. I could hear Mathias stomping into the living room and a little "oof!" when he plopped down into his recliner. From the sound of things, he was busy chewing when he spoke.

"Somethin' wrong Luke?"

No, no. I'm just dandy. I'm holding back images of us sleeping together and trying to stop myself from strangling you all at once. Nothing's wrong with me at all.

"Nothing." I mumbled, poking my head out of the pillow to stare at him. In his lap was a plastic box filled with cheese danishes. So that answered the question of what he was chewing on that I never bothered to consider.

He shrugged and took another bite of his Danish before turning to the TV. "'Kay." He's so fucking oblivious to the obvious. Did he have any idea what he did to me before he got in the shower? I had to stick my head in the freezer to cool myself off and prevent myself from ending up with a rather personal problem in his house! _In his house!_ That was ten times worse than experiencing that in my own room!

"WELCOME BACK TO FAMILY FEUD!" The television screamed. I covered my ears with the pillow, squinting to accommodate to the sudden brightness of Mathias' HD cable.

"Jesus…" I sat up and grabbed the remote to save my eardrums. Mathias, on the other hand, thought I was doing something else.

"Hey! What're you doin'?!" He swallowed his mouthful of pastry to exclaim, "You can't change Family Feud like that!"

"I wasn't-"

"I love being able to show up the contestants with my at-home smarts!"

I stared at him in disbelief instead of offering a rebuttal. We both knew what I was thinking of saying anyway, so why even bother saying it? We all know he has little to no smarts, at-home or otherwise. But I held up my hands and dropped the remote anyway. "Fine, fine. Whatever you say."

He grinned and snatched the remote away, shoving it in the cushion of his recliner. "That's what I thought!"

_You're lucky I can't smack you._ I thought scornfully, my eyes narrowing at him as I thought that. I promised myself that when he finally got cleared of his wheelchair, I was going to unleash a veritable hail storm of slaps and head drubbings. Until then, I was forced to sit back and keep my emotionless façade. I crossed my arms and did so, my pillow now leaning against my side.

"Why do you like this show so much?"

Mathias coughed-probably choking on his danish after stuffing his mouth-and looked at me with wide eyes. "Why wouldn't I? Like I said, I like sounding smarter than them when they give a stupid answer or my answer was up there all along!" He snickered and pointed at himself, his grin getting wider. "It just proves that I'm the smartest guy ever!"

I scoffed. "I bet if we were to go against each other on this stupid show, I would win by a landslide."

He stopped mid chew, his grin subsiding into a mischievous smirk as he absorbed what I said. "You seriously want to bet that?"

"What? No! I was trying to insult you!"

"Sounded like a challenge to me!"

"Well, it wasn't!" Mathias shook his head at me though and muted the television so he could go on with his little tirade.

"How 'bout this? If I get more good answers than you do during the rest of this show, you have to be my butler for a whole day and do what I say. No matter how ridiculous."

"Fuck. No. Why would I want to do that?!"

"BUT!" He cut me off before I could finish yelling at him. "If you get more good answers than I do, I'll keep my mouth shut when you tell me to and clean up after myself so you don't have to."

I held my breath for a moment. Was he really offering that? And if he was, would he and could he actually do it? I pursed my lips as we stared at each other for a few minutes. If I lost, not only would I never hear the end of it, but I'd be stuck being his slave for a day. But if I won, I could tell Mathias not to talk all day and have some peace and quiet while he _finally_ cleans his damn room.

Was it worth it?

I glanced at the TV quickly then looked him in the eye, holding out my hand. "Deal."

Mathias grinned again, laughing as his hand slapped against mine and shook it briskly. "Then let's do it! Be ready to lose, Bondevik!"

"Only if you are, Køhler."

The show was unmuted in time to present us with another commercial, to which we both groaned. I could see the gleam in his eyes, excited beyond belief to show me up. I bet he did this with his friends in his free time (if he has any friends, that is). But as the commercials droned on and his foot started tapping impatiently on the floor, I had to hold back a smile. It was heartwarming to know at least one of us was gung ho enough to go through with the most ridiculous of challenges without seeking compensation. This time may have been for a prize, but I could tell it was only to get me interested in the idea too.

"Oh, finally!" He yelled out, drawing my attention back to the screen. The Baxters were in the lead with eighty-four points and the Smiths were stuck at zero. The show couldn't have been on for more than ten minutes if the scores were that low.

"You're way to hyped up for this."

"Shhh!" He leaned closer to the screen while taking a bite out of his second danish, cheeks puffed up like a squirrel's.

The host called up to contestants to the buzzers and asked the question Mathias was literally bouncing in his seat for. "Name a reason why someone would make fun of your car."

"It's old!" Mathias yelled out. Though the answer was pretty good, considering, I shrugged like it was nothing and mumbled, "Dirty" just to see which one of us had the better answer. Maybe then I could judge if this bet was worth going through with.

The Smiths, someone by the name of Debbie, buzzed in first. Her answer was the same as mine, leading Mathias to say "Lucky guess."

"Hey. Don't be jealous because she went with my answer and not yours."

"I'm not jealous!"

The panel flipped over to reveal "Dirty" as the second best answer, with only twenty-three people in their survey having said the same thing. Mathias chuckled and looked at me with a shit eating grin. "Still not the best answer though."

So what if it wasn't the best? At least it was up there. All I had to worry about now was how Mathias' answer ranked up. The Baxters got to answer next, the man by the name of Michael saying exactly what Mathias said. While he did a little victory dance in his seat, the host as well as the contestants turned to the panel. "Watch it be- NUMBER ONE! EAT THAT LUKE!" Much to my surprise, his answer really was the number one answer, a full twenty-nine people having agreed with him.

I looked at him in astonishment as he continued cheering himself on and doing an even more ridiculous dance in his seat. This definitely wasn't what I was expecting. If he won this bet, I was fucked! But it was one answer, so it couldn't be that bad.

"Køhler, one! Bondevik, zip!"

"Shut up." I growled at him as we both turned our attention back to the screen. The Baxters had decided to play and went down the line to some fat woman that was somehow related to Michael. The host repeated the question to her, Mathias shouting out "It's dented" while I remained silent. Why else would you make fun of a car?

"It's small?"

Mathias snickered. "That's what she said."

"Shut your mouth!"

"You haven't won the bet yet, so no!"

I hate him so much sometimes. I huffed and took the abuse, the both of us a little shocked that she didn't say any of our answers, instead going ahead to insult the engine. The X of Doom popped up, as it did for the other two Baxters after her. The Smiths repeated my answer and there it was, the fifth choice up there with a mere five people agreeing with me.

"Bam." I said, smirking at him as his jaw dropped. The danish he had fell out of his hand as he stared, dumbfounded.

"How the hell do you not make fun of it for being dented?"

"It just is what it is, Mathias."

He scowled at me, a first in his book, before looking back to see what the other answers were. "Color! Dents-"

"FUCK YEAH!" Mathias jumped to his feet, the whole container of danishes hitting the floor unceremoniously while he fist pumped the air. "DENTED IS STILL BETTER THAN YOURS! TWO POINTS FOR ME, NONE FOR YOU!"

I stood up, my blood starting to boil a little bit not only because he was rubbing it in my face, but also because he could have hurt himself if he stood up like that again. I pushed him back onto his recliner and yelled, "Sit your ass down, you obnoxious nincompoop!"

"Pfft! What's a nincompoop?"

This was going to be a long game.

XXXXXXXXXXX

"What the fuck man?! Condoms can be cherry flavored!"

I smirked at Mathias' distress as the choices flipped over one by one, each one not showing his answer. "Not according to the survey." He pouted as he turned to me, having been sitting down on the floor to hear the questions better. Even though the volume was turned up a considerable amount, I didn't bother to tell him to sit back and let me see the screen. The effort would have been pointless anyway.

"Then the survey's stupid."

"That or you are. Have you ever thought of that?"

He shook his head, still firmly glued to his spot. "I'll dominate the next game! Just you watch!"

"That wasn't part of the deal."

"It is now!"

I sighed. It was useless to fight him on that anyway, so I went ahead and nibbled on the danish that was sitting on the coffee table. I still wasn't sure if it was mine from earlier or Mathias', but it was obvious that even if it was his, he didn't really want it anymore; he was too busy with trying to win. Surprisingly, it wasn't half bad. Here I thought it was going to be one of the American versions that was covered with butter and grease to an unhealthy degree, but it turned out to be the genuine article and tasted like it was fresh from a bakery in Austria.

I hummed a little at the thought. I hadn't had pastries this good in quite the while, so you could imagine I was trying to savor it. But with Mathias' constant yelling, it was hard to do that. "You're just upset because I'm catching up to you."

"Shut up! You just got lucky! I got this in the bag!"

I rolled my eyes and looked down to the floor. "Whatever."

Mathias inched closer and closer to the television to the point where it wouldn't have been that surprising if his nose was pressing against the screen. His undivided attention was on the game and nothing else, determined to win our little bet if his life depended on it.

And knowing him, he'd probably make it so that it did.

"Just don't hurt yourself." I said as I stood up. It was becoming too laborious to sit there and watch him concentrate to hard. If he kept that up, _I_ was going to break a sweat. "I'm going to get a drink."

His eyes were still glued to the commercial, not wanting to miss the chance to hear the question first when the show came back on. "Bring me a beer while you're at it, will ya?"

"I'm not your butler yet."

He blinked and glanced at me then at the TV again as I left, his voice sounding like he was actually paying attention to me. "I'm not asking you as my butler! I'm askin' you as a friend!"

I was already half way to the kitchen when he said that and stopped in my tracks to look over my shoulder at him. Sure enough, he was grinning from ear to ear at me, trying to persuade me into doing what he said with his eyes. My heart skipped a beat for a second then went back to normal. If he was able to tempt me into doing something as frivolous as getting him a beer, who was to say he couldn't make me fall for him like he promised?

Sadly, I already had. There was no persuasion needed. Even if it hurt my self-esteem to realize that I couldn't even withstand Mathias' flirting and attempts at friendship, it was the truth. And I felt stupid for denying it for this long.

For once, I felt almost as stupid as I claimed him to be.

I sighed and nodded, deciding to just give up and go along with it. "Fine… If it'll get you to shut up."

"Not until you win, Luke! Which you won't!"

In spite of how badly I wanted to go through with my urges to smack him over the head, I turned away and headed to the fridge. "I'll win if it means I get to duct tape your mouth shut for a day…" I mumbled to myself as I opened the door. I had become used to the rows upon rows of beer bottles lining the shelves of the poor thing. But I managed to shove a water bottle in there for myself since there was no way I was drinking that swill.

Just as I was grabbing the neck of the bottle for Mathias, that idiot ran into the kitchen behind me and stubbed his toe on the table again. "OH, SWEET FUCK!" If it wasn't so typical of him to grab his foot, sit down and complain, I would have jumped a foot in the air at the volume of his exclamation.

"What have I told you about running in the house, Mathias?" I stood up straight again and handed him the bottle, only for him to take it and press it against his toe.

"That I shouldn't…" He mumbled. "And that I should be in the wheelchair."

"That's right." At least he was learning.

"But Luke, I had a reason! There's no signal now! Somethin' about snow blocking it."

Now that was a pleasant surprise. Not only was it finally snowing, satellite dishes and their ability to easily get blocked have never been welcomed more in my entire life. I smiled a little bit at that while opening my water bottle and taking a sip. "So, the bet's off?"

"What? No! It means I won!"

My eyes widened and I did an unexpected spit take. Mathias grinned and laughed at me, but while I was standing the spluttering and trying to make a comprehensible sentence, he put his beer on the table, stood up again and did another victory dance. "Mathias wins again! But that's no surprise, since I'm awesome!

I gasped for air as I stared at the puddle of water now in front of me. Honestly, it wasn't very graceful of me to do that, but I'll be damned if I keep my mouth shut about losing to him! "Th-There's no way I lost to you! You can't just win like that!"

"I win by default since the show's not on now!"

I gawked at him for a few seconds before my anger got the best of me. I threw my water bottle on the counter as I stepped closer to him and poked his chest harshly. "I'm not losing to you, Køhler! If you think this is fair, you got another thing coming!"

Mathias blinked then grinned down at me. "What're you gonna do to me? I'm crippled, remember?" He took my wrist and gently guided it away from him. "Poor ol' Mathias is broken down and injured." A playful pout took up his face, but the snicker he let out meant he was only trying to get a rise out of me.

"Broken down, my ass! You're walking around just fine! I'll put you in the grave!"

"Go ahead! I dare you!"

So he wanted to play that game, huh? Well, since he asked for it.

I growled through bared teeth and pulled my hand back, sending a fist straight into his stomach. He gasped and clutched it with his one hand, his eyes shooting open. He was left breathless for a little bit as he fell back to the chair and wheezed.

"Oh… fu-"

I didn't give him a chance to say much of anything else, planting a foot on his chest and pushing him back. The chair teetered in the desired direction while Mathias spazzed out in order to grab something and keep him upright. I smiled as he started to fall back, but when his hand landed on my shirt and pulled, it instantly fell.

"FUCKING DANE!" I thought I saw him grin as we fell, but my face ended up slamming into his chest and knocking the wind out of him, so I couldn't be too sure.

The chair clattered to the floor, a _snap_ following suit; our combined weight must have broken it on impact. Mathias tried to squirm away from right under me, a hand on my shoulder trying to push me off. But I looked up and glared at him, feeling him stiffen with fear.

"Look, I was just jokin'! How 'bout it, huh Luke?! You win, you win!" He had his hand over his face to protect himself, looking off to the side. Either he was too scared to look me in the eye or I hurt him on the way down.

Either way, it was completely satisfying. "Did you really think I was joking, Mathias?" I grabbed his collar and pulled him forward, our faces not even an inch away from each other. His breath was becoming heavy, tickling my face. I didn't even comprehend how close we were at the time, my only thought on getting revenge and relieving myself of the urge to smack him around like a ragdoll. "You really are an idiot."

He squeaked-an especially unmanly sound coming from him-and squirmed a little more. Even though he was no doubt stronger than I was, he was still struggling to get free. Maybe he wasn't even really trying, just attempting to make me feel pity for him. "Please, I'm sorry! I'm givin' up the trophy, Norge! Just accept it and let me go!"

I was midway through pulling back my fist to clock him in the jaw when he spoke, effectively stopping me in my tracks. _Did he just…_ My grip loosened up, his body falling back a little bit. He seemed just as surprised by it as I was, but it was for a completely different reason.

I wasn't expecting him to call me that at a time like that. An unconscious shiver ran down my spine as my hand fell and I thought about the position I was in. Ours faces inches away from each other while I straddled him, a disheveled Mathias laying on the ground and looking up at me expectantly. It wasn't the kind of expectant face that was matching the image in my head, but it was enough to make me snap back into the real world.

_Norge._ Oh dear God…

Though my heart was pounding in my chest, I pulled off the best triumphant smile I could and let him go. My expression didn't match my emotions _at all._ "That's what I thought." I climbed off of him and grabbed his hand to pull him up. Sure enough, as he came off of the chair, the back of it and snapped right off.

"Ohhh… Fuck. I didn't think you could hit that hard…" He groaned, rubbing his stomach tenderly. To be honest, I didn't think I could hit that hard either. But my aim was impeccable, straight for the bread basket.

I shrugged, my eyes directed to my feet while I tried to keep my pulse at a normal level. "Guess I can." _Norge…_ Why did I have to allow that nickname? I dug myself into a hole I couldn't get out of as far as my sex life goes.

"Shit man… Remind me never to get into a scrap like that with you. I just might end up getting killed."

_Norge._ I wanted it so badly. It was starting to hurt, holding back that much. If I hadn't thoroughly screwed any normal conversation between us over, I would have been just fine. Now, I couldn't even get him out of my head. The way we had fallen-cliché as it was-was enough to get me worked up and allow my mind to run wild. Even a kiss wouldn't have been enough to satisfy me at that moment, had I gotten the guts to go through with it at all. I would want the whole package, to be able to touch him in a way only a lover could, to have him make me feel sensations I never even dreamed possible. I wanted him to say that nickname over and over again like my dirtiest fantasies had him do.

All I needed was one time to take the brunt of the storm like a man and get over these daydreams of mine. But even then, I would be left with nothing but emptiness after a one night stand like that. I needed him, but the way our friendship was working out, it was becoming close to impossible to manage that, much less control the passionate way I thought of him.

I had been friend zoned harder than any man has ever even dreaded before, and it hurt like hell.

"Will do." Dear God, what did I just get myself into?

XXXXXXXXXXX

*DenNor feels like you've never seen before explode within Wurst* FUUUCK! WHY HAVE MY DENNOR URGES BEEN SO FUCKING UNCONTAINABLE RECENTLY?! I NEED TO WRITE OR READ SOME DENNOR GOODNESS BEFORE I EXPLODE!

Wurst's Conscience: That's what this fic is for, genius.

Wurst: SHUT UP! I GOTS A PLOT TO STICK TO AND URGES TO CONTAIN IN ORDER TO DO IT! UGH! *explosion*

*Random janitor sweeps up the remains of the red and blue confetti explosion that decimated the world*

Anyway, while I rant to myself about my feels, it's about time I gave you my excuse as to why I've been gone for so long.

About a week or so after my last update, my school bus was involved in an accident. I was among some of the students to be sent to the hospital. When I got there, I had to get a CAT scan and shit just kept hitting the fan. Luckily, what they thought could have been nerve/spinal damage wasn't; just some muscular issues. So I was stuck unable to move my neck or left arm for a little while. Don't ask how that was, 'cause with the meds I was on, I honestly don't remember shit.

BUT SCHOOL'S OVER AND I'M HERE ALL SUMMER NOW! SO BE HAPPY! :D So Norge got a little violent today~ Goes to show that he's a Viking after all! Now that he realizes he's in the dreaded Friend Zone, how will he handle the situation? Will Mathias ever get out of that damned wheelchair and will we ever find out if he uses Viagra? Find out next time on I'LL HAVE YOU EVENTUALLY!

Comments and constructive criticism are much appreciated! I apologize for any grammatical or spelling errors! From my computer to yours, this is Wurstlover178, signing off! ¡HASTA LUEGO, MI GENTES!

(Personally, I feel like this chapter didn't accomplish much rather than get me out of the rut I was in. /SHOT/ But I'll probably change my tune soon. So long as you guys enjoyed it, I'm happy.)

**OH! AND HAPPY LATE BIRTHDAY 67OtakuGirl24X3! I know this is kind of late, but if you enjoyed this chappie, it would make this Wurstlover the happiest one ever. :3**


End file.
